Dendril
    Dendril Roots
      penalty
      noun
      A punishment for violating rules of procedure.
      A legal sentence.
      A disadvantageous consequence of a previous event.
      (finance) A payment forfeited for an early withdrawal from an account or an investment.
      (soccer) A direct free kick from the penalty spot, taken after a defensive foul in the penalty box; a penalty kick.
      (ice hockey) A punishment for an infraction of the rules, often in the form of being removed from play for a specified amount of time.
      In sports
      Roots
      poenapen- · Latin · penalty, punishment
      Synonyms for penalty
      punishmentnamercementnmulctnchastisementnretributionnimprisonmentncastigationninflictionncondemnationnimpositionn
      Words related to penalty
      penalizationnforfeitervpenalizedvnonpunishableadjamercevpenaladjpunishableadjpenalizingvinfractionnpunishedadjnondisciplinaryadjpunitiveadjoffsidesadjfinesnfinableadjpremuniresentencingvpunitivenessnfinedvfineableadjsanctionsndemeritnpunishesvsentencedvpunitivelyadvpunishingadjforfeiturentransgressionnforjudgeretaliativeadj

      Synonyms & related words for penalty

      Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of penalty — including punishment, amercement, mulct, chastisement, retribution, imprisonment. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

      Words related to penalty

      Explore words related to penalty — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include penalization, forfeiter, penalized, nonpunishable, amerce, penal, punishable, penalizing. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

      Synonyms for penalty

      Common synonyms for penalty include punishment, amercement, mulct, chastisement, retribution, imprisonment, castigation, infliction — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

      Where does penalty come from?

      The word penalty breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root pen-, from Latin poena (“penalty, punishment”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.

      © 2026 Dendril · Credits Explore roots