punitive

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

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

The prevailing sentiment of Congress, however, preferred the punitive Confiscation Bill. — Great Britain and the American Civil War, Ephraim Douglass Adams
Of punitive police, political or moral, I have a wholesome horror. — My Reminiscences, Rabindranath Tagore
FRYING-PAN, n. One part of the penal apparatus employed in that punitive institution, a woman's kitchen. — The Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce

punitory

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