as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
Australia was once a penal colony
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Recent Examples of penal
To bring in more workers, the colony’s leaders then requested a conversion to penal status, like others that had been established on the continent since the 1780s.
—
Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
Iran’s Islamic Republic government likely will block it because, aside from Panahi’s outspoken stance against its stranglehold on democracy that has landed him in prison twice, the film is highly critical of Iran’s penal system on the back of the director’s own firsthand experiences.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 June 2025
In the report on El Salvador, whose penal system has become a dumping ground for migrants deported from the United States, there will be no details on the conditions in those prisons.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025
The assignment to a penal detachment is arguably a death sentence, however, as Russia's military has routinely used ex-convict forces to conduct near-suicidal missions in the war against Ukraine, leading to high casualty rates.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penal
Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
Iran’s Islamic Republic government likely will block it because, aside from Panahi’s outspoken stance against its stranglehold on democracy that has landed him in prison twice, the film is highly critical of Iran’s penal system on the back of the director’s own firsthand experiences.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 June 2025
In the report on El Salvador, whose penal system has become a dumping ground for migrants deported from the United States, there will be no details on the conditions in those prisons.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025
The assignment to a penal detachment is arguably a death sentence, however, as Russia's military has routinely used ex-convict forces to conduct near-suicidal missions in the war against Ukraine, leading to high casualty rates.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penal
Adjective
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The problem last season was many teams still opted to kick the ball in the end zone because the touchback wasn't punitive enough.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Relief from punitive tax rules could fuel profitability, but only for those ready to meet the federal government’s new demands.—
Robert Hoban,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Following their deaths, the families of Green and Thyrion filed separate federal civil rights and wrongful death lawsuits against Milwaukee County, the jail's medical provider and correctional staff.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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His son said Bolsonaro was accompanied to the hospital by correctional police officers who guard his home in Brasília.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penal. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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