PUNITIVE Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

punitive

adjective

ˈpyü-nə-tiv

Definition of punitive

as in correctional

inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment any misbehavior was immediately met with a punitive response the company had to pay a million dollars in punitive damages

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of punitive His reduction stemmed from legislative changes from the past few years that gave judges the ability to strike firearm enhancements criticized as overly punitive. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 The absolute yield level isn’t broadly punitive yet to big companies. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026 Jurors awarded $6 million in damages ($3 million compensatory and $3 million punitive) to a 20-year-old woman whose compulsive childhood use of Instagram and YouTube exacerbated her severe depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia. — Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2026 Atlman added the punitive actions by the General Assembly should give pause to all citizens. — Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for punitive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punitive

Adjective

At noon that same day, her cellmates notified the correctional officer who failed to review Babb’s documents a few hours earlier.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Speaking of Prison Break characters that fans love to hate, Wade Williams was Brad Bellick, a corrupt captain of the correctional officers at Fox River Penitentiary.

— Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of correctional

Adjective

The museum, spanning a former cell block wing, is a deeply informative and well curated journey through the evolution of the nation’s penal system.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026
While the two men entered the Russian penal system around the same time, their cases differ significantly.

— Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of penal

Adjective

The 29-year-old was substituted in the second half of last Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat against Como and requires corrective surgery for a medical condition that Napoli have confirmed is a mild, benign arrhythmia.

— Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
These trajectories document a robot’s behavior before an intervention, the moment a human operator takes control, and the corrective actions used to recover or complete the task.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026