The meaning of PUNITIVE is inflicting, involving, or aiming at punishment. How to use punitive in a sentence. Punitive and the Law.

PUNITIVE definition: serving for, concerned with, or inflicting punishment. See examples of punitive used in a sentence.

PUNITIVE definition: 1. intended as a punishment: 2. used to describe costs that are so high they are difficult to pay…. Learn more.

relating to, involving, or with the intention of inflicting punishment: a punitive expedition.

Definition of punitive adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

punitive in British English (ˈpjuːnɪtɪv ) or less commonly punitory (ˈpjuːnɪtərɪ , -trɪ ) adjective relating to, involving, or with the intention of inflicting punishment

Feb 1, 2026 · Adjective punitive (comparative more punitive, superlative most punitive) (law, military) Inflicting punishment; punishing. Synonyms: castigatory, (archaic) punitory; see also Thesaurus: …

punitive, adj. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary

punitive meaning, definition, what is punitive: intended to punish someone: Learn more.

Punitive definition: Inflicting or aiming to inflict punishment; punishing.