as in prison
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
a sentence in the state penitentiary for robbery
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Recent Examples of penitentiary
The government opened the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz in 1934, hoping to use the remote island to house particularly difficult prisoners, according to the National Park Service.
—
Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2026
But Wood’s penitentiary is considerably sturdier.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
The former president was hospitalized on March 13 after feeling ill at the Papuda penitentiary in the Brazilian capital.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
In 1933 the Department of Justice turned it into a federal penitentiary for prisoners considered especially violent or unmanageable.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2026
But Wood’s penitentiary is considerably sturdier.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
The former president was hospitalized on March 13 after feeling ill at the Papuda penitentiary in the Brazilian capital.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
In 1933 the Department of Justice turned it into a federal penitentiary for prisoners considered especially violent or unmanageable.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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Ali wakes up in the morning to find Rue in the living room, learning from the news that Fez broke out of prison and vowing to get him.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
1 June 2026
-
Erasures from his the poet’s journals narrate the speaker’s visit to his father in prison through the pinhole of what’s left of memory.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
Noun
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She is being held on $500,000 bond, according to jail records reviewed by PEOPLE on May 30.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
31 May 2026
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On Friday, a judge sentenced him to 60 days in jail, followed by 22 months of probation.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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