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{%type%} Definitions

WordNet 3.0Copyright Princeton University
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Short "hint"

Inflicting or concerned with the infliction of a penalty.

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Usage examples (32)
  • The ruler was in a punitive mood, so all of the subjects were charged double taxes.
  • White House calls for 'punitive' measures against Iran in nuclear row
  • punitive justice
  • Others say it helps nonprofessional traders avoid what they call the punitive trading fees levied by exchanges.
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Tutoring comment
  • Word of the 2009 Nat. Spelling Bee finals.[pellingbeeshirleys!Field2]
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We give special thanks to our LearnThat volunteers, as well as Princeton University and Wiktionary for their Open Source word data. We're also grateful for the support given by Google, Wordnik.com, Dictionary.com, Stands4.com and YouTube, OEDILF.com, Kylescholz.com, Best-Practice.com, Forvo.com, as well as the generous Creative Commons community.