Synonyms of penitentiary

penitentiary

noun

ˌpe-nə-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)rē 

as in prison

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody

a sentence in the state penitentiary for robbery

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prison
• jail
• brig
• stockade
• jailhouse
• bridewell
• calaboose
• lockup
• pen
• coop
• slammer
• guardroom
• bastille
• hoosegow
• cage
• cooler
• big house
• hock
• pokey
• tolbooth
• jug
• dungeon
• clink
• cell
• joint
• tank
• quod
• can
• stir
• slam
• nick
• ward
• guardhouse
• bull pen
• gulag
• hold
• reformatory
• hole
• prison camp
• labor camp
• stalag
• concentration camp
• glasshouse
• block
• work camp
• oubliette
• reform school
• keep
• hulk(s)
• training school

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outside

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of penitentiary

Still, even on video, Davis doesn’t appear wracked with guilt or anguish about the possibility of spending the rest of his life in the Nevada penitentiary system. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026

Beginning in 1908, after federal prisons opened in Atlanta, Georgia, and Leavenworth, Kansas, most federal prisoners were sent to these new federal prisons, and cells began to empty at the West Virginia state penitentiary. — Ella Siegrist, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026

Recent spike in inmate deaths at the penitentiary In fiscal year 2025 – July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025 – the DOC reported 19 deaths within its annual report, the most in a decade. — Tj Rhodes, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 28 Aug. 2026

One of her clients has gone MIA from the state penitentiary – but how can a man go missing in prison? — Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026