punitive

[ pyoo-ni-tiv ]
See synonyms for punitive on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. serving for, concerned with, or inflicting punishment: punitive laws; punitive action.

Origin of punitive

1
1615–25; <Medieval Latin pūnītīvus of punishment, equivalent to Latin pūnīt(us) (past participle of pūnīre to punish) + -īvus-ive
  • Also pu·ni·to·ry [pyoo-ni-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]. /ˈpyu nɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/.

Other words from punitive

  • pu·ni·tive·ly, adverb
  • pu·ni·tive·ness, noun
  • non·pu·ni·tive, adjective
  • non·pu·ni·to·ry, adjective
  • self-pu·ni·tive, adjective
  • sem·i·pu·ni·tive, adjective
  • sem·i·pu·ni·to·ry, adjective
  • un·pu·ni·tive, adjective

Words that may be confused with punitive

Words Nearby punitive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use punitive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for punitive

punitive

less commonly punitory (ˈpjuːnɪtərɪ, -trɪ)

/ (ˈpjuːnɪtɪv) /


adjective
  1. relating to, involving, or with the intention of inflicting punishment: a punitive expedition

Origin of punitive

1
C17: from Medieval Latin pūnītīvus concerning punishment, from Latin pūnīre to punish

Derived forms of punitive

  • punitively, adverb
  • punitiveness, noun

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