pu·ni·tive

[pyoo-ni-tiv]
adjective
serving for, concerned with, or inflicting punishment: punitive laws; punitive action.
Also, pu·ni·to·ry [pyoo-ni-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] .


Origin:
1615–25; < Medieval Latin pūnītīvus of punishment, equivalent to Latin pūnīt(us) (past participle of pūnīre to punish) + -īvus -ive

pu·ni·tive·ly, adverb
pu·ni·tive·ness, noun
non·pu·ni·tive, adjective
non·pu·ni·to·ry, adjective
self-pu·ni·tive, adjective
sem·i·pu·ni·tive, adjective
sem·i·pu·ni·to·ry, adjective
un·pu·ni·tive, adjective

penal, penological, punitive.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To punitive
00:10
Punitive is always a great word to know.
So is abet. Does it mean:
to suppress
to encourage, support, or countenance by aid or approval, usually in wrongdoing:
Collins
World English Dictionary
punitive or punitory (ˈpjuːnɪtɪv, ˈpjuːnɪtərɪ, -trɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
relating to, involving, or with the intention of inflicting punishment: a punitive expedition
 
[C17: from Medieval Latin pūnītīvus concerning punishment, from Latinpūnīre to punish]
 
punitory or punitory
 
adj
 
[C17: from Medieval Latin pūnītīvus concerning punishment, from Latinpūnīre to punish]
 
'punitively or punitory
 
adv
 
'punitiveness or punitory
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

punitive
1624, "inflicting or involving punishment," from Fr. punitif (16c.), from M.L. punitivus (c.1260), from L. punitus, pp. of punire (see punish).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
In addition to compensatory damages the courts began to award punitive damages.
Punitive raids as well as the spread of diseases brought in by settlers
  decimated their ranks.
But the costs, borne by extended families, can be punitive.
The new laws are even more demanding and punitive to wrongdoing than they were
  a few years ago.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT