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penalty

/pˈɛnʌlti/noun3 syllables

Penalty means: the act of punishing, or the infliction of a penalty.

Synonyms for penalty3

noun, as in the act of punishing, or the infliction of a penalty

punishment, penalization, penalisation

Opposites of penalty

What does penalty mean?4

noun

1

the act of punishing, or the infliction of a penalty

2

a payment required for not fulfilling a contract

3

the disadvantage or painful consequences of an action or condition“neglected his health and paid the penalty”

4

(games) a handicap or disadvantage that is imposed on a competitor (or a team) for an infraction of the rules of the game

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Penalty in a sentence

  • Birth is evidently a major crime, since the penalty is death.DJ_Saidez
  • On the issue of the death penalty, public opinion is split.Nuel
  • Regarding the question of the death penalty, public opinion is divided.Nuel
  • In many countries, the death penalty is the most severe punishment.AlanF_US
  • If you make a mistake, you pay the penalty.ulyssemc1
  • Such conduct would subject the offender to a heavy penalty.unknown
  • I thought that the death penalty should be abolished.CK
  • The death penalty was done away with last year.Eldad

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of penalty

as a noun

plural
penalties