penalize
to subject to a penalty, as a person.
to declare (an action, deed, etc.) punishable by law or rule.
to put under a disadvantage or handicap.
Origin of penalize
1- Also especially British, pe·nal·ise .
Other words from penalize
- pe·nal·iz·a·ble, adjective
- pe·nal·i·za·tion, noun
- non·pe·nal·ized, adjective
- o·ver·pe·nal·i·za·tion, noun
- o·ver·pe·nal·ize, verb (used with object), o·ver·pe·nal·ized, o·ver·pe·nal·iz·ing.
- re·pe·nal·ize, verb (used with object), re·pe·nal·ized, re·pe·nal·iz·ing.
- un·pe·nal·ized, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use penalize in a sentence
Special care should be taken that taxation is so adjusted as not to penalise parenthood in the socially valuable middle class.
Outspoken Essays | William Ralph IngeMoulders do not admit women, and penalise members who give instruction to female workers in any branch.
Women in Modern Industry | B. L. HutchinsBut in fact, to penalise rebellion in some sort was an absolute necessity; not to have done so would have jeopardised the throne.
Ten Tudor Statesmen | Arthur D. InnesYou will never find expert players, who appreciate what I may call the geometry of the court, penalise themselves in this manner.
Lawn Tennis for Ladies | Mrs. Lambert ChambersHe tried some curious devices to penalise himself for laziness.
William Hickling Prescott | Harry Thurston Peck
British Dictionary definitions for penalize
penalise
/ (ˈpiːnəˌlaɪz) /
to impose a penalty on (someone), as for breaking a law or rule
to inflict a handicap or disadvantage on
sport to award a free stroke, point, or penalty against (a player or team)
to declare (an act) legally punishable; make subject to a penalty
Derived forms of penalize
- penalization or penalisation, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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