punitive

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈpjuːnətɪv/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Inflicting or intended as punishment; relating to or involving punishment.; Excessively harsh or severe, especially in terms of financial cost or burden, to the point of being oppressive.; Relating to damages awarded in a civil lawsuit that exceed actual compensation, intended to punish the defendant and deter future misconduct.

🔗 Details

Word forms

Comparative: more punitive Superlative: most punitive

Collocations

punitive damagespunitive actionpunitive measurespunitive taxpunitive expeditionpunitive sentence

Derivatives

punishpunishmentpunisherpunishablepunitivelypunitivenessimpunity

Synonyms

penalpunishingretributivevindictivedisciplinarycorrectional

Antonyms

lenientrewardingforgiving

Commonly confused

punishable
EN: 'Punitive' describes something that inflicts punishment (e.g., punitive damages); 'punishable' describes something that deserves punishment (e.g., a punishable offense).
penal
EN: 'Penal' relates to the legal system of punishment (e.g., penal code); 'punitive' emphasizes the severity or intent to punish.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember the 'i' before '-tive': it is 'punitive,' not '*punative.' The root is Latin 'punire' (to punish).

💬 Examples

  1. The judge imposed a punitive sentence to deter others from committing similar crimes.

  2. The punitive taxes on imports made foreign goods unaffordable for most consumers.

  3. The jury awarded the plaintiff $10 million in punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages.