penal
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or involving punishment, as for crimes or offenses.
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prescribing punishment.
penal laws.
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constituting punishment.
He survived the years of penal hardship.
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used as a place of confinement and punishment.
a penal colony.
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subject to or incurring punishment.
a penal offense.
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payable or forfeitable as a penalty.
a penal sum.
adjective
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of, relating to, constituting, or prescribing punishment
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payable as a penalty
a penal sum
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used or designated as a place of punishment
a penal institution
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of penal
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin poenālis, equivalent to poen ( a ) penalty (< Greek poinḗ fine) + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Anything described as penal has something to do with legal punishment. Prisons are one important part of a country's penal system. Whenever you see the adjective penal, you'll know it has to do with court-ordered punishment. A government's penal code, for example, is a list of crimes and the punishments imposed for each of them. You might notice how similar penal is to the word penalty — in fact, they both stem from the same Latin word, poena, and the Greek root poine, both of which mean "punishment."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The interim government is prosecuting Atef Najib under the 1949 penal code, a statute written for ordinary murder, not for crimes against humanity.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
He was transferred to a less harsh penal colony in Russia's Udmurtia region in 2024.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
“As well as realistic criminal investigation when they’ve committed a crime in violation of a penal code.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
According to Russian accounts, the 47-year-old took a short walk at his Siberian penal colony, said he felt unwell, then collapsed and never regained consciousness.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
While young minority men with little schooling have always had relatively high rates of incarceration, “before the 1980s the penal system was not a dominant presence in the disadvantaged neighborhoods.”
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
