as in correctional
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
any misbehavior was immediately met with a punitive response the company had to pay a million dollars in punitive damages
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Recent Examples of punitive
The government handed this duty to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, not its immigration enforcement agency, underscoring that the process shouldn’t be punitive but instead is meant to help safely place children with sponsors living in the United States.
—
Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 31 Jan. 2025
The British viewed the Boston Tea Party as an act of treason and retaliated with punitive measures that would ultimately lead to conflict.
—Joe Minihane, CNN, 22 Jan. 2025
However, after a 2009 appeals court, her punitive award was reduced to $400,000.
—Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025
A day after the dispute between Colombia and the United States over migrant deportations, two Republican congressmen from South Florida said any country that rejects the deportation of its nationals would face sanctions or other punitive measures.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for punitive 
Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 31 Jan. 2025
The British viewed the Boston Tea Party as an act of treason and retaliated with punitive measures that would ultimately lead to conflict.
—Joe Minihane, CNN, 22 Jan. 2025
However, after a 2009 appeals court, her punitive award was reduced to $400,000.
—Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025
A day after the dispute between Colombia and the United States over migrant deportations, two Republican congressmen from South Florida said any country that rejects the deportation of its nationals would face sanctions or other punitive measures.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for punitive
Thesaurus Entries Near punitive
Cite this Entry
“Punitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punitive. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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