as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
Australia was once a penal colony
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Recent Examples of penal
In the new South, one scrabbling to industrialize, business owners could now hire unpaid labor through the penal system.
—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
The Mexican Mafia was started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that controls smuggling, drug sales and extortion from inside California’s penal system.
—
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
By then, his tour of the federal penal system had taken him to the medium security penitentiary in Coleman, Florida.
—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
13 Apr. 2026
Within the Moreton Bay area, a penal settlement for colonial recidivists was founded at Brisbane, followed by other penal establishments at Ipswich and on Stradbroke Island.
—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penal
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
The Mexican Mafia was started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that controls smuggling, drug sales and extortion from inside California’s penal system.
—
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
By then, his tour of the federal penal system had taken him to the medium security penitentiary in Coleman, Florida.
—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
13 Apr. 2026
Within the Moreton Bay area, a penal settlement for colonial recidivists was founded at Brisbane, followed by other penal establishments at Ipswich and on Stradbroke Island.
—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penal
Adjective
-
Woods is seeking compensatory, punitive, and statutory damages in an amount to be determined at trial.
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The Thunder traded guards Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, respectively, shedding their contracts to try to duck under the NBA’s punitive second-apron threshold.
Adjective
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For example, the correctional officers union agreed to a new deal that awarded roughly 25,000 workers with a 3% general salary increase last year.
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Decades of correctional research have consistently shown that maintaining family connections is one of the strongest predictors of successful reentry and lower rates of recidivism.
Cite this Entry
“Penal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penal. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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