penalize

[ peen-l-ahyz, pen- ]
See synonyms for penalize on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),pe·nal·ized, pe·nal·iz·ing.
  1. to subject to a penalty, as a person.

  2. to declare (an action, deed, etc.) punishable by law or rule.

  1. to put under a disadvantage or handicap.

Origin of penalize

1
First recorded in 1865–70; penal + -ize
  • Also especially British, pe·nal·ise .

Other words from penalize

  • pe·nal·iz·a·ble, adjective
  • pe·nal·i·za·tion, noun
  • non·pe·nal·ized, adjective
  • o·ver·pe·nal·i·za·tion, noun
  • o·ver·pe·nal·ize, verb (used with object), o·ver·pe·nal·ized, o·ver·pe·nal·iz·ing.
  • re·pe·nal·ize, verb (used with object), re·pe·nal·ized, re·pe·nal·iz·ing.
  • un·pe·nal·ized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use penalize in a sentence

  • We know that in some of the states of America public opinion has permitted the enactment of laws penalising this practice.

    Bacteria in Daily Life | Mrs. Percy Frankland
  • I am referring to the common fault of interfering with and penalising men of superior mental and intellectual powers.

    Life in a Railway Factory | Alfred Williams
  • France taxed half a million from it last year by a penalising tariff.

    The Romance of the Reaper | Herbert Newton Casson
  • And it is wholly impossible to return to pre-war levels of employment by any plan of penalising imports.

British Dictionary definitions for penalize

penalize

penalise

/ (ˈpiːnəˌlaɪz) /


verb(tr)
  1. to impose a penalty on (someone), as for breaking a law or rule

  2. to inflict a handicap or disadvantage on

  1. sport to award a free stroke, point, or penalty against (a player or team)

  2. to declare (an act) legally punishable; make subject to a penalty

Derived forms of penalize

  • penalization or penalisation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012