punitive

/'pju:nitiv/ Cách viết khác : (punitory) /'pju:nitəri/

Thân thiện

The judge ordered punitive damages in the civil case.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Inflicting or intended as punishment: Relating to, involving, or aiming to impose a penalty or sanction for an offense or wrongdoing.
   • Severely harsh: Extremely severe or costly, often to the point of being intended as a deterrent.

Usage

The adjective punitive is used to describe actions, measures, laws, or costs that are designed to punish. It is a formal term commonly found in legal, political, and economic contexts. It modifies nouns to indicate their punishing nature.

Examples

• Legal Context:
  • The judge ordered the company to pay punitive damages for its reckless behavior.
  • The new law introduced punitive tariffs on imported goods.
• General/Descriptive Context:
  • The prison conditions were criticized as being excessively punitive.
  • The government's response was seen as a punitive measure against the protesters.

Advanced Usage

• "Punitive expedition": A military campaign undertaken to punish a state or group for perceived aggression or wrongdoing.
  • The 19th-century colonial power launched a punitive expedition against the rebellious tribe.
• "Punitive justice": A system or philosophy of justice focused on retribution and punishment rather than rehabilitation.
  • Some argue that a system of punitive justice does little to reduce crime rates.

Variants and Related Words

• Punitory (adjective): A less common synonym for punitive.
  • The actions taken were clearly punitory in nature.
• Punish (verb): To inflict a penalty on someone for an offense.
• Punishment (noun): The act of punishing or the penalty inflicted.

Synonyms

• Penal: Relating to legal punishment.
• Retributive: Involving punishment inflicted as vengeance for a wrong.
• Corrective: Intended to correct or discipline (can overlap, but often less severe).

Antonyms

• Remedial: Intended to correct or improve a situation, not to punish.
• Rehabilitative: Aimed at restoring to a normal life through training and therapy.
• Compensatory: Intended to compensate for loss or injury, not to punish the wrongdoer.

Related Phrases

• Punitive action: An act taken to punish.
  • The threat of punitive action forced the company to comply with the regulations.
• Punitive tax: A tax imposed as a penalty or to discourage certain behavior.
  • The proposed punitive tax on sugary drinks aims to improve public health.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. inflicting punishment
   • punitive justice
   • punitive damages

Từ đồng nghĩa

• punitory