punitive

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈpju.nɪ.tɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #27894

Meanings

1

adj
Intended as punishment.

The government imposed punitive taxes on imported goods.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · intended as punishment. punitory

Opposites

nonpunitiveunpunitive

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

punitive justice
an approach to justice that emphasizes punishment for wrongdoing

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle French punitif, from Medieval Latin pūnitīvus, from pūniō (“to punish”).

*kʷey- Proto-Indo-European punitif Middle French pūnitīvus la-med

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

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