punitive

[ pyoo-ni-tiv ]

/ ˈpyu nɪ tɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR punitive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

serving for, concerned with, or inflicting punishment: punitive laws; punitive action.

Also pu·ni·to·ry

[pyoo-ni-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈpyu nɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/.

Origin of punitive

1615–25; < Medieval Latin pūnītīvus of punishment, equivalent to Latin pūnīt(us) (past participle of pūnīre to punish) + -īvus -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM punitive

pu·ni·tive·ly, adverb pu·ni·tive·ness, noun non·pu·ni·tive, adjective non·pu·ni·to·ry, adjective

self-pu·ni·tive, adjective sem·i·pu·ni·tive, adjective sem·i·pu·ni·to·ry, adjective un·pu·ni·tive, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH punitive

penal penological punitive

Words nearby punitive

punish, punishable, punishing, punishment, punition, punitive, punitive damages, punjab, punjab states, punjabi, punji stake

Example sentences from the Web for punitive

Punitive measures could also be brought by the Security Council, but only with the backing of Russia and China.

Creating Consequences for South Sudan’s Political Elite |Justine Fleischner |July 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Even normally eager-to-talk sources have gone to ground, unsure how punitive the military might be in its actions against critics.

Thailand’s 19th Nervous Breakdown |Lennox Samuels |May 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Even if they succeed, families can win only actual and not punitive damages from the federal government.

VA Pays $200 Million for Nearly 1,000 Veterans’ Wrongful Deaths |Aaron Glantz |April 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
If punitive action was taken by the church it would be very painful and extremely traumatic for him.

Meet the Gay Priest Getting Married |Nico Hines |March 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

McCain named Russian banker Dmitry Klyuev and his lawyer Andrei Pavlov as potential targets for punitive action.

Exclusive: Obama Declines to Add Names to Russian Sanction List |Josh Rogin |December 19, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
This and the punitive expeditions which immediately followed no doubt accounted for the wave of conversions in 1805 and 1806.

The Aboriginal Population of the San Joaquin Valley, California |Sherburne F. Cook
The effect of the punitive regulations on private farm property was not apparent from the official statistics for 1968 and 1969.

Area Handbook for Romania |Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
It became primarily a punitive expedition against the Chins.

The Pacification of Burma |Sir Charles Haukes Todd Crosthwaite
The disbandment of mutinous regiments was one of the punitive measures carried out by the Supreme Administration or Command.

The Russian Turmoil |Anton Ivanovich Denikin
The Government therefore, sent a punitive expedition into the country.

A Journal of a Tour in the Congo Free State |Marcus Dorman

British Dictionary definitions for punitive

punitive

less commonly punitory (ˈpjuːnɪtərɪ, -trɪ)

/ (ˈpjuːnɪtɪv) /

adjective

relating to, involving, or with the intention of inflicting punishment a punitive expedition

Derived forms of punitive

punitively, adverb punitiveness, noun

Word Origin for punitive

C17: from Medieval Latin pūnītīvus concerning punishment, from Latin pūnīre to punish

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

punitive

adjective

Origin of punitive

OTHER WORDS FROM punitive

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH punitive

Words nearby punitive

Example sentences from the Web for punitive

British Dictionary definitions for punitive

less commonly punitory (ˈpjuːnɪtərɪ, -trɪ)

adjective

Derived forms of punitive

Word Origin for punitive

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

punitive

adjective

Origin of punitive

OTHER WORDS FROM punitive

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH punitive

Words nearby punitive

Words related to punitive

Example sentences from the Web for punitive

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for punitive

less commonly punitory (ˈpjuːnɪtərɪ, -trɪ)

adjective

Derived forms of punitive

Word Origin for punitive

British Dictionary definitions for punitive