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
To be sure, the administration pulled back from its most punitive rates, and the Supreme Court struck down its global levies.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 May 2026
New York was in the process of repealing many of the punitive drug laws that were passed under Governor Nelson Rockefeller in the nineteen-seventies.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Before Marseille’s 1-0 win at Le Havre last weekend, the squad were confined to the club’s La Commanderie training base for four consecutive days as a punitive measure after a succession of poor performances.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2026
Angola does not plan to pursue punitive measures against mining companies such as export quotas or bans in order to bolster its domestic mining industry, a senior minerals minister said.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 May 2026
New York was in the process of repealing many of the punitive drug laws that were passed under Governor Nelson Rockefeller in the nineteen-seventies.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Before Marseille’s 1-0 win at Le Havre last weekend, the squad were confined to the club’s La Commanderie training base for four consecutive days as a punitive measure after a succession of poor performances.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2026
Angola does not plan to pursue punitive measures against mining companies such as export quotas or bans in order to bolster its domestic mining industry, a senior minerals minister said.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punitive
Adjective
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Those opposing him include Grow California, associated with billionaires in the tech and crypto sector, and Keep California Golden, a coalition representing Realtors, correctional peace officers and the building industry.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
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An inmate who allegedly assaulted two correctional deputies while being moved between two cells at the Butte County Jail on Tuesday is facing additional charges for doing so, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Colorado was the first of eight states to repeal its penal exception clause.—
Julia Bowling,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
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The charges included seven counts of falsifying a record and one felony count of abuse of a resident of a penal facility.—
Nichole Manna,
ProPublica,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In a statement last week, Blue Origin said engineers completed their investigation into the upper stage failure and implemented corrective measures ahead of the next New Glenn launch.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
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Starship will not be cleared to fly again until the FAA approves SpaceX's final investigation report and corrective actions.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punitive. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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