penal
English · Español · Português · Română · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
penal
- /ˈpiːnəl/
Sounds like penile (one pronunciation) · Rhymes with -iːnəl
Where it comes from
From Old French peinal, from Medieval Latin penalis, from Latin poenalis, from poena (“punishment”), from Ancient Greek ποινή (poinḗ, “punishment”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷoynéh₂.
adjective pænal · pænall · penall · pœnal · pœnall
-
Of or relating to punishment.
penal servitude
Similar: penary, penitentiary
-
Subject to punishment; punishable.
a penal offence
Similar: castigable, disciplinable, chastisable, penal, punishable, statutable, subpenal
- Serving as a place of punishment. a penal colony
-
Exorbitant.
a penal rate of interest
Similar: disproportionate, usurious, exorbiant, exorbitant, extortionable, extortionate, extortious, extravagant, inordinate, penal, sky-high
Similar: penal, penary, penitentiary, punishmental · Opposite: nonpenal, unpenal
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: punitory, punitive, punishable, illegal, punish, penalty, punishment, disciplinary, indictable, crime, criminal, sentencing, repressive, correctional, sentence, prosecution
adjective
Similar: penal, penary, penitentiary, punishmental · Opposite: nonpenal, unpenal
Translations
Every language
Talk about this word "penal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/penal. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. penal. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/penal "penal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/penal.Cite this
@misc{penal_2026,
title = {penal},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/penal},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
