punitiveadjective
uk/ˈpjuː.nɪ.tɪv/us/ˈpjuː.nə.t̬ɪv/formal or specialized law intended as a punishment:
punitive action
The UN has imposed punitive sanctions on the invading country.
She is suing the newspaper for $5 million punitive damages, claiming they knew the article about her was untrue.
used to describe costs that are so high they are difficult to pay:
The president has threatened to impose punitive import duties/tariffs on a variety of foreign goods.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Punishing & punishments
- bar
- be brought/called to account idiom
- boot
- bring
- bum rap
- carrot
- chastise
- clobber
- crucify
- heads will roll! idiom
- kick
- kick (some) ass idiom
- non-custodial
- parking ticket
- penal
- skin sb alive idiom
- string
- strip
- throw
- throw the book at sb idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Costing too much
punitively
adverb uk/ˈpjuː.nɪ.tɪv.li/us/ˈpjuː.nə.t̬ɪv.li/