Meanings
alternative pænal · alternative pænall · alternative penall · alternative pœnal · alternative pœnall
- not comparableSubject to punishment; punishable.
a penal offence
Synonyms: castigable, disciplinable, castigable, chastisable, disciplinable, punishable, statutable, subpenal
- not comparableExorbitant.
a penal rate of interest
Synonyms: disproportionate, usurious, disproportionate, exorbiant, exorbitant, extortionable, extortionate, extortious
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf or relating to punishment.
adjectiveSubject to punishment; punishable.
adjectiveExorbitant.
More synonyms by meaning
adjective(of an act or offense) subject to punishment by law
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*kʷoynéh₂
- Ancient Greekποινή“punishment”
- Latinpoenalis
- Medieval Latinpenalis
- Old Frenchpeinal
- Englishpenal
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.
More words from Old French, Medieval Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic جَزَائِيّ, عِقَابِيّ
- جَزَائِيّ (jazāʔiyy)of or relating to punishment
- عِقَابِيّ (ʕiqābiyy)of or relating to punishment
Bulgarian наказа́телен
- наказа́телен (nakazátelen)of or relating to punishment
Chinese Mandarin 刑罰的 /刑罚的, 刑事的
- 刑罰的 /刑罚的 (xíngfá de)of or relating to punishment
- 刑事的 (xíngshì de)of or relating to punishment
Danish pønal, straffe-
- pønalof or relating to punishment
- straffe-of or relating to punishment
Esperanto prizona, puna
- prizonaof or relating to punishment
- punaof or relating to punishment
Finnish rangaistus-
- rangaistus-of or relating to punishment
French pénal
- pénalof or relating to punishment
German strafrechtlich
- strafrechtlichof or relating to punishment
Japanese 刑罰の, 刑事上の
- 刑罰の (keibatsu no)of or relating to punishment
- 刑事上の (keijijō no)of or relating to punishment
Korean 형벌의
- 형벌의 (hyeongbeorui)of or relating to punishment
Polish karny
- karnyof or relating to punishment
Portuguese penal
- penalof or relating to punishment
Russian кара́тельный, штрафно́й
- кара́тельный (karátelʹnyj)of or relating to punishment
- штрафно́й (štrafnój)of or relating to punishment
- каторжный (katoržnyj)of or relating to punishment
Ukrainian ка́рний, штрафни́й
- ка́рний (kárnyj)of or relating to punishment
- штрафни́й (štrafnýj)of or relating to punishment
- кара́льний (karálʹnyj)of or relating to punishment
Welsh cosbol
- cosbolof or relating to punishment
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with penal
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
penal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penal
“penal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penal. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “penal,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penal.
Source: penal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.