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
No punitive actions have been taken by China since the signing.
—
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 8 Oct. 2025
Tole has also filed a lawsuit against Sanchez and his employer, Fox Sports, for punitive and compensatory damages, CNN reported.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
However, when employees saw how the process was framed as developmental, not punitive, trust grew.
—Christopher Lind, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
Unlike the punitive approach used in that case, the USC proposal offers new funding and preferential treatment for universities that comply.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 8 Oct. 2025
Tole has also filed a lawsuit against Sanchez and his employer, Fox Sports, for punitive and compensatory damages, CNN reported.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
However, when employees saw how the process was framed as developmental, not punitive, trust grew.
—Christopher Lind, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
Unlike the punitive approach used in that case, the USC proposal offers new funding and preferential treatment for universities that comply.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punitive
Adjective
-
Attica by the numbers At the time of the uprising, the rural prison had an all-white correctional staff tending to 2,234 inmates, with Black prisoners making up more than half the prison population.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
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Salvation Army is known for its willingness to help nearly anyone, with its adult recovery programs often taking people from the streets or the correctional system.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
9 Oct. 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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Restaurants that receive more than 30 demerits are required to immediately fix the most critical violations and start corrective procedures on all the other violations within 48 hours.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Oct. 2025
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This decision highlights the precise reasons securities plaintiffs will continue to rely on these reports to allege corrective disclosures and loss causation.—
Tim Reynolds,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punitive. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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