| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | concerning punishment |
| Synonyms: | castigating, correctional, disciplinary, in reprisal, in retaliation, penal, punishing, punitory, retaliative, retaliatory, revengeful, vindictive |
| Notes: | penal means 'relating to punishment' while punitive means 'serving to punish' |
| Antonyms: | beneficial, rewarding |
| Main Entry: | harsh |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | nasty, abusive |
| Synonyms: | austere, bitter, brutal, comfortless, cruel, cussed, discourteous, dour, grim, gruff, hairy*, hard, hard-boiled, hard-nosed, hard-shell, mean, pitiless, punitive, relentless, rude, ruthless, severe, sharp, stern, stringent, tough, uncivil, unfeeling, ungracious, unkind, unpleasant, unrelenting, wicked |
| Antonyms: | courteous, kind, nice, polite |
| Main Entry: | penal |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | disciplinary |
| Synonyms: | chastening, corrective, penalizing, punishing, punitive, punitory, reformatory, retributive |
| Notes: | penal means 'relating to punishment' while punitive means 'serving to punish' |
| Main Entry: | vengeful |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | retaliating; hating |
| Synonyms: | antagonistic, avenging, hostile, implacable, inimical, punitive, rancorous, relentless, retaliatory, revengeful, spiteful, unforgiving, vindictive |
| Antonyms: | condoning, forgiving, liking, pardoning |
| Main Entry: | disciplinary |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | corrective |
| Synonyms: | ordered, punishing, punitive |
| Main Entry: | punishing |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | tough |
| Synonyms: | brutal, grueling, hard, punitive |
| Antonyms: | easy, effortless |
| Main Entry: | reformative |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | corrective |
| Synonyms: | amendatory, antidotal, counteracting, curative, disciplinary, emendatory, palliative, penal, punitive, reformatory, rehabilitative, remedial, restorative, therapeutic |