punitive damages
Americanplural noun
Etymology
Origin of punitive damages
First recorded in 1970–75
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.
This week, Brian Panish, the Iskanders’ attorney, told jurors in the Van Nuys courtroom that they needed to award punitive damages for the couple’s “reprehensible” conduct the day of the crash.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
The complaint seeks a permanent injunction, an award no less than for $15 million for actual damages and punitive damages.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
He has demanded both compensatory damages to redress his own harms as well as punitive damages “to deter future unconstitutional conduct.”
From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026
It awarded $6 million in compensatory and punitive damages to a 20-year-old woman, known as K.G.M., who began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at 9.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
A court subsequently awarded them nearly a million dollars in compensatory and punitive damages.
From Wild Justice by Sprague, Ruth M.
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.
