Punitive
Punitive adjective - Inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment.
Ruthless and punitive are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Ruthless" instead an adjective "Punitive".
Nearby Words: punish, punishment
Ruthless
Ruthless adjective - Having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings.
Punitive and ruthless are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Punitive" instead an adjective "Ruthless".
Nearby Words: ruthlessly, ruth
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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Lady Macbeth: When Jeri and Wendy's divorce drags on and on with more punitive demands, Pam criticizes Jeri for letting Wendy beat her like this and tells her to win, explaining how she had fallen in love with her when she saw how ruthless and unstoppable she used to be in the courtroom.
Source: Series / Jessica Jones
Cite this Source
Ruthless and Punitive. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/punitive/ruthless
Punitive & Ruthless. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/punitive/ruthless>.
Ruthless or Punitive. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/punitive/ruthless.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "punitive" and "ruthless" have occurred on timeline