punitive
Americanadjective
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- nonpunitive adjective
- nonpunitory adjective
- punitively adverb
- punitiveness noun
- self-punitive adjective
- semipunitive adjective
- semipunitory adjective
- unpunitive adjective
Etymology
Origin of punitive
1615–25; < Medieval Latin pūnītīvus of punishment, equivalent to Latin pūnīt ( us ) (past participle of pūnīre to punish ) + -īvus -ive
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 plaintiffs are asking for about $120 million in future earnings as well as additional millions for pain and suffering and punitive damages.
From Los Angeles Times
Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday for “inhumane” and “punitive” conditions at California City Detention Facility in the Mojave Desert.
From Los Angeles Times
They are brass, ivory and wooden sculptures that once adorned the royal palace of the Benin Kingdom before British soldiers looted them in 1897 during a punitive expedition.
From BBC
It continues to shield the group from enforcement action by the Lebanese government, epitomized by Beirut’s failure to prevent Hezbollah from projecting Nasrallah’s image onto Raouche Rock or to respond with meaningful punitive actions.
They could potentially clean up in the U.S. market at the expense of their rivals who are facing punitive duties.
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.
