Synonyms for penitentiary
- adjective
- noun
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Penal — of or relating to the punishment of criminals
penal, punishmental rare, penary dated
2. Penitent
Noun
jail, prison, house of correction UK, pen slang, bridewell dated IE
Definitions
- adj. 1
Of or relating to the punishment of criminals.
- adj. 2
Of or relating to penance; penitential.
- n. 1
A state or federal prison for convicted felons; (loosely) a prison.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:penitentiary.
Related words
- Word family
- penitence penitent penitential
Forms
- Plural
- penitentiaries → jails, prisons, pens, bridewells…
Example sentences
- penal Australia was started as a British penal colony.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| penitentiary | falling | |
| penal | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- pen1
- 4 letters
- jail1
- 5 letters
- penal2
- 6 letters
- prison2, penary
- 8 letters
- penitent3
- 9 letters
- repentant3, bridewell
- 11 letters
- penitential
- 12 letters
- punishmental
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (penal2 = 2 syllables).