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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of punitive
These contractual duties are standard, non-punitive, and unrelated to her decision to withdraw from Miss Universe.
—
Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025
The long-commute phenomenon might be made less punitive for women if more men were to modify their career to stick close to the kids.
—Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 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
The actions toward Nicaragua are punitive and proportionate to the dictatorship's conduct; there is no negotiation posture, let alone dialogue.
—Associate News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punitive
Adjective
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According to the release, these activities threaten the safety of correctional staff, inmates, and the public.—
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While a correctional officer was proctoring an exam that counted toward Hanson’s master’s degree, Hanson was thinking about USC.—
Adjective
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In many cases, those who have been arrested are, in essence, disappeared into the federal penal system.—
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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.—
Adjective
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Employers can regain their PSLF status after completing a corrective action plan or waiting a decade.—
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Each year, the department inspects every cruise ship under its purview and provides a score and corrective report to the cruise line.—
Cite this Entry
“Punitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punitive. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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