1
as in fines
a sum of money to be paid as a punishment
the penalty for speeding is $10 for every mile over the speed limit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in punishments
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
in some cases, the new penalties for drug offenses were harsher than those for violent crimes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disadvantages
the negative result caused by something that creates difficulty for achieving success
suffered the penalty of his decision to leave school without graduating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of penalties
In 2019, the California Department of Industrial Relations filed a request in Orange County Superior Court that a judge order the company to pay $2,898 in unpaid civil penalties.
—
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026
The court ruled that the IRS has the authority to assess those penalties administratively, meaning the agency does not have to sue first before trying to collect.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Goaltender Thomas Ricciardelli made 14 saves, and Notre Dame killed off four penalties, even tacking on a short-handed goal in an overwhelming effort.
—Tribune News Service, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026
Many also prepare unfiled returns to bring you into compliance and represent you in disputing IRS penalties, audits or collection actions.
—John Csiszar, CNBC, 22 May 2026
Failure to do so could result in civil penalties of $53,088 per report.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 21 May 2026
Possible penalties for non-compliance include warnings, fines and temporary suspension.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
Remarkably, their five league draws this season have resulted from equalising goals conceded in the 96th, 92nd, 94th, 97th and 88th minutes, the last three of which — against Paris FC, Strasbourg and Nice — were all penalties.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2026
The Treasury Department has escalated those penalties in recent weeks as the US tries to pressure Tehran on talks.
—Skylar Woodhouse, Fortune, 16 May 2026
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026
The court ruled that the IRS has the authority to assess those penalties administratively, meaning the agency does not have to sue first before trying to collect.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Goaltender Thomas Ricciardelli made 14 saves, and Notre Dame killed off four penalties, even tacking on a short-handed goal in an overwhelming effort.
—Tribune News Service, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026
Many also prepare unfiled returns to bring you into compliance and represent you in disputing IRS penalties, audits or collection actions.
—John Csiszar, CNBC, 22 May 2026
Failure to do so could result in civil penalties of $53,088 per report.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 21 May 2026
Possible penalties for non-compliance include warnings, fines and temporary suspension.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
Remarkably, their five league draws this season have resulted from equalising goals conceded in the 96th, 92nd, 94th, 97th and 88th minutes, the last three of which — against Paris FC, Strasbourg and Nice — were all penalties.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2026
The Treasury Department has escalated those penalties in recent weeks as the US tries to pressure Tehran on talks.
—Skylar Woodhouse, Fortune, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penalties
Noun
-
The ordinance will take effect in 30 days and it will be followed by a 60-day grace period before citations and fines can be issued.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
The Boston Housing Authority faced fines from the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board this week after what advocates and residents have called persistent elevator issues in the South End’s Ruth Barkley Apartments over nearly three years.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
In the early 1980s, the RIAA worked with the Motion Picture Association of America to convince Congress to establish harsher punishments for the piracy of films and audio recordings.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
20 May 2026
-
Nantes is expected to face severe punishments.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Speaking at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2024, Huang said one of the biggest disadvantages facing privileged graduates is expecting success to come too easily.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
-
Democrats view the open-seat contest as one of their better statewide opportunities in years, though the party still faces structural disadvantages in turnout during nonpresidential elections.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Add another $3 billion–$5 billion annually for film and television production, $3 billion–$4 billion for streaming content and technology, and roughly $2 billion–$3 billion in merger integration expenses.—
Joseph M. Singer,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
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Satyanarayanan thinks that the cost of moving workloads around, as well as other expenses such as repairs, may be higher than Span is anticipating—and that these factors will determine whether XFRA scales or remains a clever concept.—
Vanessa Bates Ramirez,
Scientific American,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penalties.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penalties. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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