penalty - definition, thesaurus and related words from WordNet-Online

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Noun penalty has 4 senses

punishment, penalty, penalization, penalisation - the act of punishing
--₁ is a kind of social control
--₁ has particulars:

castigation, chastisement; corporal punishment; cruel and unusual punishment; detention; discipline, correction; economic strangulation; imprisonment; music, medicine; self-punishment; stick; penance, self-mortification, self-abasement

Derived form: verb penalise₁

penalty - a payment required for not fulfilling a contract
--₂ is a kind of payment
--₂ has particulars:
retribution, requital; forfeit, forfeiture; fine, mulct, amercement
penalty - the disadvantage or painful consequences of an action or condition; "neglected his health and paid the penalty"
--₃ is a kind of disadvantage
Antonyms: advantage, reward
penalty - (games) a handicap or disadvantage that is imposed on a competitor (or a team) for an infraction of the rules of the game
--₄ is a kind of handicap
--₄ has particulars: game misconduct