punitive
adjective
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Punitive and the Law
Punitive is an important word in the law. When you sue a person or company for having wronged you in some way, you normally ask for something of value equal to what you were deprived of by the other party. But when the defendant has done something particularly bad, you may also ask for punitive damages, money over and above the actual cost of the harm done, intended to teach the defendant a lesson. Punitive damages are fairly rare, but when they're actually granted they may be as much as four times the size of the basic damages.
Examples of punitive in a Sentence
Sara Fischer, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
And university leaders fearing government investigations, funding cuts, or punitive endowment taxes crack down on campus protest, remove or demote outspoken professors, and remain silent in the face of growing authoritarianism.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
In the 1950s—when the farms were at their operational height—the political environment shifted more heavily toward a punitive approach to drug addiction.
—TIME, 10 Feb. 2025
The jurors never discussed the punitive award, so Svitenko does not know what that verdict would have been.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Cite this Entry
“Punitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punitive. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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punitive
adjective
Legal Definition
punitive
adjective
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