punitive
Punitive describes inflicting a punishment. If someone takes punitive action against you, you'll probably whine and complain — you're in trouble and you're about to get punished.
An easy way to remember the meaning of punitive is that it looks like the word punish — both come from the Latin root word punire, "to inflict a penalty on." Punitive doesn't always refer to a person-to-person punishment, like a mom disciplining a child. It can also describe the unpleasant result of an action on a large scale, like the punitive effect higher taxes will have on the middle class.
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inflicting punishment“punitive justice”“punitive damages”
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synonyms:
punitory
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correctional
concerned with or providing correction
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penal
serving as or designed to impose punishment
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penitentiary
used for punishment or reform of criminals or wrongdoers
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relatiative, retaliatory, retributive, retributory, vindicatory
of or relating to or having the nature of retribution
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Antonyms:
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rehabilitative
designed to accomplish rehabilitation
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correctional
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Vocabulary lists containing punitive
This nonfiction work delves into the history and legacy of the Tulsa Massacre — one of American history's deadliest acts of racial violence that took place in Oklahoma in 1921.
This list covers "Measles: A Dangerous Illness," "Mandatory Vaccination Is Not the Answer to Measles," and "Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for Sustainability."
This biography details the life of Janusz Korczak, a Polish doctor who refused to abandon the orphaned children in his care during the Holocaust.
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