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 The United States and Canada are inching closer to a deal to avert the imposition of punitive 50 percent tariffs on such Canadian products as hockey sticks, wine and cement, according to industry executives and trade specialists following the talks. — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2026 Reconstituting the bilateral bond between the two countries, now frayed by more than a year of threats and punitive measures, will not happen overnight. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 14 Aug. 2026 The regulations issued in 2024 made many of those changes permanent, and more broadly, pushed clinics and state-level regulators to leave punitive, rigid attitudes in the past. — Lev Facher, STAT, 14 Aug. 2026 At the center lies carceral safety politics—logics that turn fears of violence into justifications for punitive responses. — Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for punitive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punitive

Adjective

State police are investigating an incident in a classroom at a youth correctional center where a juvenile was allegedly involved in an altercation with a teacher.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 20 Aug. 2026
By Bay City News An inmate serving a life sentence was convicted of assaulting a correctional officer in 2023 with a homemade dagger at Salinas Valley State Prison, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office said.

— Bay City News, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of correctional

Adjective

In that role, Johnson can receive misconduct complaints, review findings and disciplinary recommendations from the independent police auditor and participate in recommending corrective action.

— Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
The board, after the hearing, indefinitely extended the stop-work order, stipulating that the developer had to take a number of corrective steps to address the runoff issues.

— Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026