Penal and Punitive

Penal

Penal adjective - Inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment.
Usage example: Australia was once a penal colony

Punitive is a synonym for penal in disciplinary topic. In some cases you can use "Punitive" instead an adjective "Penal". popular alternative

Punitive

Punitive adjective - Inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment.
Usage example: the company had to pay a million dollars in punitive damages

Penal is a synonym for punitive in concerning punishment topic. You can use "Penal" instead an adjective "Punitive". popular alternative

Nearby Words: punish, punishment
Cite this Source
Punitive and Penal. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 03, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/penal/punitive
Penal & Punitive. N.p., 2016. Web. 03 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/penal/punitive>.
Punitive or Penal. 2016. Accessed August 03, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/penal/punitive.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "penal" and "punitive" have occurred on timeline