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

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.

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 Lively initially asked for treble damages and punitive damages as well, but Liman previously ruled that those were not available under federal law. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 26 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 The change allowed the parents to successfully argue that the trauma over their son's death counted as a disability that would exempt them from the punitive damages cap. — Reuters, USA Today, 22 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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“Punitive damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punitive%20damages. Accessed 1 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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