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 2024 juvenile justice lawsuit, which an advocacy group and multiple unnamed youth in the system filed against DCS, argued that the department places youth in facilities that are more punitive than rehabilitative. — Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 25 Sep. 2026 Why is an incentive important, in your view, as opposed to more punitive measures like tariffs? — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026 Hasan deftly handles political seriousness and an unfathomable history and present of war and punitive state violence against Palestinians. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026 For Kyiv, punitive sanctions that impose real economic costs on Moscow are a key part of that strategy. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for punitive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punitive

Adjective

Simple things like being able to choose when to sleep, and showering without a correctional officer escort are novel changes after a quarter-century behind bars.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
According to Macallair, who has been working on juvenile justice reform for more than 40 years, any facility with more than 10 kids becomes unwieldy, distracting from rehabilitation and becoming more correctional.

— Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of correctional

Adjective

Their ruling states that investigators should not have cited penal law as justification for seizing the artwork, and reproaches a lower court’s previous approval of their methods.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 21 Sep. 2026
She had originally been charged with abuse of residents of penal facilities, a felony.

— Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of penal

Adjective

The latest in a long series of corrective measures was a thirteen-per-cent state income tax on millionaires, which went into effect in 2012 and is due to expire in 2030.

— Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Employees who fail to comply may be subject to corrective or disciplinary action, according to the draft policy.

— Ana Goñi-Lessan, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026