penal
- 01 C1 Advanced
relating to the legal punishment of people who have committed a crime.
relating to or prescribing the legal punishment of offenders within a judicial framework.
Simple“The government is planning to reform the country's penal system to reduce crime.”
In context“Legal scholars argued that the proposed changes to the penal code were unnecessarily harsh and failed to address the root causes of recidivism.”
UsageUsually placed before the noun it modifies, such as 'penal code' or 'penal system'.
Teacher's tipThis is a high-level academic and legal term; in everyday conversation, people usually say 'criminal' or 'prison-related'.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
used as a place where prisoners are kept as punishment.
functioning as a place of confinement or forced labour for those convicted of crimes.
Simple“In the past, some islands were used as penal colonies for dangerous criminals.”
In context“The remote archipelago served as a penal settlement for decades before being converted into a protected wildlife sanctuary.”
UsageCommonly found in the fixed expression 'penal colony'.
Teacher's tipOften used in historical contexts when discussing how countries used to manage their prisoner populations.
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
describing an action that can be punished by law.
constituting an offence that is liable to a legal penalty.
Simple“The new law made the act a penal offence for the first time.”
In context“Under the revised statutes, any failure to disclose these financial interests became a penal matter subject to heavy fines.”
UsageTypically used in technical legal documents rather than general news reporting.
Teacher's tipThis sense is very rare outside of formal legal writing; 'punishable' is the standard word for general use.
SynonymsAntonyms
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.