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
Around Austin, bars have stepped up, building nonalcoholic menus that feel intentional, not punitive — and certainly not like a kid’s menu for adults.
—
Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 6 Jan. 2026
The Falcons could restructure Cousins’ deal, but that would only add more possible punitive effects in the future.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
These contractual duties are standard, non-punitive, and unrelated to her decision to withdraw from Miss Universe.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025
For the United States, success in this contest, then, is unlikely to lie in punitive actions against Beijing.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 6 Jan. 2026
The Falcons could restructure Cousins’ deal, but that would only add more possible punitive effects in the future.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
These contractual duties are standard, non-punitive, and unrelated to her decision to withdraw from Miss Universe.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025
For the United States, success in this contest, then, is unlikely to lie in punitive actions against Beijing.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punitive
Adjective
-
The starting salary for state correctional officers in North Carolina is $37,000 — the second-lowest starting salary of any state in the country.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The bill would also allow correctional officers to disable the aircraft.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In many cases, those who have been arrested are, in essence, disappeared into the federal penal system.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Plaintiffs allege Pepsi monitored competitors’ retail pricing and took corrective action whenever Walmart’s price advantage was threatened.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
-
In Iran today, the regime’s founding principle of pan-Islamic revolutionary ideology has been supplanted by a fierce, corrective nationalism.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punitive. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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