punitive damages

plural noun

Synonyms of punitive damages

: damages awarded in excess of compensation to the plaintiff to punish a defendant for a serious wrong

Examples of punitive damages in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status for the lawsuit, statutory and punitive damages and for Suno to be prevented from capturing and monetizing artists’ identities. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026 Hackett's suit, filed by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, seeks compensatory and punitive damages and names Arellano in his individual capacity as the sole defendant. — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026 Users suing are hoping to force Meta to pay out damages, including potentially punitive damages, to every person in the US who bought smart glasses under the allegedly false premise that Meta cared about user privacy. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 As a result of dropping the primary discrimination claims, the court eliminated the $2 million in punitive damages and $100,000 for emotional distress. — Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for punitive damages

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of punitive damages was in 1858

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punitive

punitive damages

punitory

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Punitive damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punitive%20damages. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Legal Definition

punitive damages

punitive damages

plural noun

Examples of punitive damages in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Legal Definition

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