# penitentiary

/ˌpɛnɪˈtɛntʃɝi/ (US) · /pˌɛnɪtˈɛnʃjəɹi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/penitentiary
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. a prison

noun · CEFR C1 · American English · Formal

a large prison for people who have committed serious crimes.

For teachers: a state or federal correctional facility for the incarceration of convicted felons.

- After the trial, he was sent to a state penitentiary to serve his ten-year sentence.
- The defendant was sentenced to twenty years in a federal penitentiary without the possibility of early parole.

Usage: Often shortened to 'pen' in informal American slang, though the full word remains strictly formal.

### 2. relating to punishment

adjective · CEFR C2 · Formal · Technical

relating to the punishment of criminals or the prison system.

For teachers: relating to or used for the punishment and reform of criminals; pertaining to the penal system.

- The government is looking at new penitentiary measures to reduce crime.
- The commission proposed a series of penitentiary reforms aimed at improving the living conditions of long-term inmates.

### 3. religious officer

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal · Technical

a priest in the Catholic Church who deals with the forgiveness of sins.

For teachers: a priest or officer in the Roman Catholic Church who administers the sacrament of penance or handles cases of conscience.

- The Grand Penitentiary is a high-ranking official in the Vatican.
- The bishop appointed a diocesan penitentiary to handle complex cases of absolution that required special authority.

## Examples

- The judge sentenced the man to ten years in a federal penitentiary.
- After the high-profile trial, the prisoner was transferred to a maximum-security penitentiary located in a remote part of the state.
- The architecture of the nineteenth-century penitentiary was specifically designed to encourage silent reflection and moral reform among the inmates through total isolation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.