as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
Australia was once a penal colony
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Recent Examples of penal
Kevin is on the penal version of a time out.
—
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2025
Missing fairway’s off the tee is more penal at Bay Hill.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for penal
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2025
Missing fairway’s off the tee is more penal at Bay Hill.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for penal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penal
punitive
Adjective
-
Punitive Damages Award Gutted, July 8, 2025 Judge Selna issued a ruling that effectively slashed the $53.6 million punitive award down to $1 while leaving the $17.9 million award for compensatory damages in place.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
10 July 2025
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The crane tariffs aren’t the only punitive USTR measures on China causing a stir.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penal. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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