PENITENTIARIES Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

penitentiaries

noun

plural of penitentiary

as in prisons

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody a sentence in the state penitentiary for robbery

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

outsides

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of penitentiaries Mexico has 276 prisons, including 14 federal penitentiaries and 249 state prisons. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026 Hodge says he was abused in multiple federal penitentiaries, but was frequently blocked from filing complaints about it. — Christie Thompson, NPR, 13 July 2026 This includes providing the Colombian military more leeway in the field, signing a new security agreement with Washington and building 10 mega-prisons that mimic Bukele’s network of penitentiaries in El Salvador. — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026 Behind bars in state penitentiaries in Gatesville and Marlin, Mejia felt forgotten. — Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026 The wave of prison violence is happening despite the deployment of military and police forces in several penitentiaries. — Michael Rios, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025 After his conviction, Gray was sent to Angola, one of the most violent penitentiaries in the country at the time. — Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiaries

Noun

Fewer than half of the 170,000 inmates released from California prisons between 2015 and 2019 found jobs, and many of those jobs were temporary, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

— Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2026
For several years, people in custody, advocates and local media have sounded the alarm about the dangers posed by extreme temperatures in Pennsylvania’s state prisons.

— Jaquelyn Jahn, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of prisons

Noun

In 2019, the New York City Council voted to close the island's facilities and replace them with four smaller jails throughout the five boroughs by August 2027.

— Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026
Reports also describe people in prisons and jails around the country being routinely beaten, among other abuse.

— Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of jails

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penitential

penitentiaries

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“Penitentiaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiaries. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of penitentiaries

noun

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