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punitive

Pronunciation: /ˈpjuːnɪtɪv/

(also punitory /-t(ə)ri/)
Translate punitive | into French | into German | into Italian
Definition of punitive

adjective

  • inflicting or intended as punishment:he called for punitive measures against the Eastern bloc
  • (of a tax or other charge) extremely high:a current punitive interest rate of 31.3 per cent

Derivatives

punitively

adverb

punitiveness

noun

Origin:

early 17th century: from French punitif, -ive or medieval Latin punitivus, from Latin punit- 'punished', from the verb punire (see punish)

punitive in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of punitive in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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