Meanings
present singular third person penalizes · participle present penalizing · participle past penalized · past penalized · alternative UK penalise
- transitiveTo subject to a penalty, especially for the infringement of a rule or regulation.
Women should not be penalized or forced out of the workplace simply because they become pregnant. UPS, in fact, has come around to that position. It now offers light-duty accommodations to pregnant women who need them.
2014 December 3, Editorial Board, “Supreme Court should affirm the rights of pregnant workers”, in The Los Angeles Times3 more examples
Ready for another term? Try vindictive protectiveness. In essence, in the name of emotional wellbeing, students can eliminate anything they do not want to think about, read about, or be challenged about. And penalize those who would expose them to it. How? In the name of "offense".
2017, James Emery White, Meet Generation ZBut as Bumble’s head of public policy for the Americas, Mrs. Iheme, 43, has found a cause that synthesizes her past experiences, varied as they are. She is leading an effort across several states to pass legislation that penalizes “cyberflashing.”
2022 June 13, Valeriya Safronova, “The Fight to End ‘Cyberflashing’”, in The New York TimesIn a joint move with several U.S. agencies, the State Department announced that it was penalizing 10 Iranians, including the three men, along with two entities for “conducting malicious cyberacts, including ransomware activity,” according to a statement.
2022 September 14, Glenn Thrush, “U.S. Charges 3 Iranians in Broad Hacking Scheme”, in The New York TimesSynonyms: chastise, come down on, amerce, castigate, chasten, chastise, come down on, correct
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo subject to a penalty, especially for the infringement of a rule or regulation.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian наказвам
- наказвам (nakazvam)to subject to a penalty
Catalan penalitzar
- penalitzarto subject to a penalty
Dutch straffen
- straffento subject to a penalty
Finnish rangaista, rangaista
- rangaistato subject to a penalty
- rangaistato impose a handicap on
French pénaliser
- pénaliserto subject to a penalty
German bestrafen
- bestrafento subject to a penalty
Hungarian megbüntet
- megbüntetto subject to a penalty
Irish pionósaigh
- pionósaighto subject to a penalty
Italian penalizzare
- penalizzareto impose a handicap on
Māori ngahi, ngawhi
- ngahito subject to a penalty
- ngawhito subject to a penalty
Norwegian straffe
- straffeto subject to a penalty
Persian تنبیه کردن
- تنبیه کردن (tanbih kardan)to subject to a penalty
Portuguese penalizar
- penalizarto subject to a penalty
Russian штрафова́ть, нака́зывать
- штрафова́ть (štrafovátʹ)to subject to a penalty
- нака́зывать (nakázyvatʹ)to subject to a penalty
- караться законом (karatʹsja zakonom)to subject to a penalty
- штрафова́ть (štrafovátʹ)to impose a handicap on
- накла́дывать штраф (nakládyvatʹ štraf)to impose a handicap on
Spanish penalizar, infligir un castigo
- penalizarto subject to a penalty
- infligir un castigoto impose a handicap on
Turkish cezalandırmak
- cezalandırmakto subject to a penalty
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
penalize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penalize
“penalize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penalize. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “penalize,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penalize.
Source: penalize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.