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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Recent Examples of punitive
Iran issued a warning to world powers as the United Nations Security Council prepared to vote Friday on whether to permanently lift sanctions, pushing back against threats to snap back punitive measures over its nuclear program.
—
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Adding to that fear, consumers have recently read about the $240M punitive judgement against Tesla after Autopilot contributed to the deaths of an urban couple.
—Steve Tengler, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Advocates of a lighter touch argue that an overly punitive system can hinder rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
The suit, served on Sharp last week, seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages and reimbursement for attorney’s fees.
—Paul Sisson, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Adding to that fear, consumers have recently read about the $240M punitive judgement against Tesla after Autopilot contributed to the deaths of an urban couple.
—Steve Tengler, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Advocates of a lighter touch argue that an overly punitive system can hinder rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
The suit, served on Sharp last week, seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages and reimbursement for attorney’s fees.
—Paul Sisson, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punitive
Adjective
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Ana Maria Vargas, 52, a correctional officer in Arizona, applied to be a deportation officer.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
26 Sep. 2025
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Prosecutors say the attackers sprayed anti-ICE graffiti, shot a police officer in the neck and exchanged fire with correctional officers before fleeing.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Hollfelder had been charged with abuse of residents of penal facilities, a felony that can carry a sentence of up to 1½ years in prison and two years on extended supevision.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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The Chinese are also concentrating on plug-in hybrids, which don’t carry the same penal tariffs as pure EVs, and which may have a long-term future if the EU decides to dilute its carbon dioxide emissions regime.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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According to a report by the Topeka Capital-Journal, the Kansas DCF submitted a corrective action plan by the deadline.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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Current options to improve vision include corrective reading glasses, progressive lenses and surgical procedures.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punitive. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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