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.
Nearly 500 political prisoners have been released under the amnesty law brought in by the country's National Assembly, prisoner rights group Foro Penal says, but many more are thought to still be in jail.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
Gonzalo Himiob, a prominent human rights lawyer and director of Penal Forum, which provides free legal counsel to political prisoners, called the amnesty an important first step, “but it’s not the final step.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Venezuela has released over 430 political prisoners since Jan. 8, according to Foro Penal, a Caracas-based rights organization.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
Rodriguez has started releasing political prisoners ahead of the pending amnesty -- more than 400 according to rights group Foro Penal, but with many more still behind bars.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
“He says we are charged under Article 58 of the Soviet Penal Code for counterrevolutionary activities against the USSR,” said Mother.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
