Punitive means designed to punish or involving punishment. When something is punitive, its main purpose is to make someone suffer consequences for doing something wrong.

Schools have punitive measures like detention or losing recess privileges. If you break a rule, these punishments are meant to show you that actions have consequences. Courts impose punitive damages when someone does something especially harmful or reckless: the money awarded goes beyond just fixing the problem and aims to punish the wrongdoer and discourage similar behavior in the future.

A punitive approach to discipline focuses on penalties rather than teaching better behavior. Some people think purely punitive methods work best for stopping bad behavior, while others believe a mix of consequences and guidance works better.

You might hear about punitive taxes meant to discourage certain activities, or punitive expeditions in history where armies attacked to punish groups for some offense. The word always suggests that punishment, not just correction or prevention, is the central goal.