1. intended as punishment or involving punishment
2. extremely harsh or severe, especially in a way that causes hardship

Examples

• The school imposed punitive measures on students who violated the dress code.
• The judge ordered punitive damages to be paid by the company.
• Military commanders used punitive raids against rebel forces.
• The new tax policy had punitive effects on small businesses.
• Parents often struggle with finding appropriate punitive actions for misbehavior.
• The treaty included punitive clauses that weakened the defeated nation.
• Critics called the interest rates punitive for low-income borrowers.