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
Some states, including Michigan, impose purely punitive sanctions such as fines or jail time.
—
Caitlin Cavanagh, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
But to do so now would be punitive and feel good to many Dolfans, that’s all.
—Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
To the extent permitted by applicable law, all judgments or awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket damages (excluding attorneys’ fees) associated with participation in this Promotion and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.
—Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
But opponents, mostly representing wealthier communities, said the bill contained punitive requirements from the state.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Caitlin Cavanagh, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
But to do so now would be punitive and feel good to many Dolfans, that’s all.
—Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
To the extent permitted by applicable law, all judgments or awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket damages (excluding attorneys’ fees) associated with participation in this Promotion and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.
—Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
But opponents, mostly representing wealthier communities, said the bill contained punitive requirements from the state.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 10 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
-
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
-
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
-
In 2006, the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a corrective action order, requiring the company to address integrity issues along the entirety of its 3,900-mile Pacific Coast pipelines after a rise in pipeline incidents.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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To Kean, these attempts to resurrect the past are a refreshing corrective to traditional archeology.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punitive. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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