as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
Australia was once a penal colony
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Recent Examples of penal
Even in the most incarcerated country in the world, the penal system is, for many people, experienced through mass media representations, whether fictional or documentary.
—
Sarah C. Schaefer, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
The corpus of crime-and-punishment imagery that emerged during this era tended to feature sensational events and high-profile lawbreakers rather than emphasizing the uniform anonymity that would increasingly characterize the new penal system and the majority of inmates.
—Sarah C. Schaefer, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
Foucault articulated the judicial and penal shifts from public punishment to private regulation, drawing particular attention to Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon, an architectural concretization of the unseen but ever-present authority of the state.
—Sarah C. Schaefer, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
On July 8, 1936, Cowell arrived at San Quentin, the largest prison in a state penal system that ranked high among the country’s worst.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penal
Sarah C. Schaefer, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
The corpus of crime-and-punishment imagery that emerged during this era tended to feature sensational events and high-profile lawbreakers rather than emphasizing the uniform anonymity that would increasingly characterize the new penal system and the majority of inmates.
—Sarah C. Schaefer, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
Foucault articulated the judicial and penal shifts from public punishment to private regulation, drawing particular attention to Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon, an architectural concretization of the unseen but ever-present authority of the state.
—Sarah C. Schaefer, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
On July 8, 1936, Cowell arrived at San Quentin, the largest prison in a state penal system that ranked high among the country’s worst.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penal
Adjective
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Islamabad took a number of punitive measures against India over its diplomatic maneuvering, including the closure of its airspace to Indian aircraft and a prohibition on Indian transit through the country.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2025
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New Delhi downgraded ties with Islamabad, summoned its top diplomat, suspended for the first time its involvement in a crucial water-sharing treaty and shut a key border crossing, among other punitive measures in the wake of what was the region’s worst assault on civilians in years.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penal. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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