Synonyms for punitive
- adjective
Most common
All synonyms
Adjective
retaliatory, penal, retributive, correctional, vindicatory, castigatory, retaliative, retributory, vindictive dated, punitory dated
Definitions
- adj. 1
Inflicting punishment; punishing.
Beijing imposed punitive sanctions on Canada.
Related words
- Phrases
- punitive populism
- Is a kind of
- retaliatory
Example sentences
- penal Australia was started as a British penal colony.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| punitive | rising | |
| penal | falling | |
| retributive | rising | |
| vindicatory | rising | |
| castigatory | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- penal2
- 8 letters
- punitory
- 10 letters
- vindictive3
- 11 letters
- retaliatory5, retributive, vindicatory, castigatory, retaliative, retributory
- 12 letters
- correctional4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (penal2 = 2 syllables).