Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
Source: tatoeba (554675)
Penal
/ˈpiːnəl/
Synonyms for "penal" (38 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (8)
Adjective(5 words)
Noun(2 words)
criminal law casecriminal sentencing
Strong matches (11)
Adjective(4 words)
Noun(7 words)
criminal statutescriminal-justice systemscriminal-lawcriminal-law casecriminal-law classcriminal-law conceptcriminal-law statute
Related words (19)
Adjective(6 words)
Noun(6 words)
Verb(1 words)
Adjective(3 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: coercive enforcement, correctional, corrective, criminal law, criminal law case.
- Sentence evidence is available for penal, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, opengloss, wiktionary, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "penal".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "penal"
Keep "penal" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "penal" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "penal", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "penal" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
1 entrieslegal term
More specific
2 entriescriminal sanctionpenal code
Collocations
6 entriescriminal sanctionpenal codepenal colonypenal lawpenal measurespenal system
Inflections
2 entriesmore penalmost penal
Derivations
3 entriessimilar
3 entriesSample sentences
13 total sentences available.
No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Source: tatoeba (554683)
Criminal law, also known as penal law, involves prosecution for an act that has been classified as a crime.
Source: tatoeba (624495)
This violates about a million penal codes and every holy book there is.
Source: tatoeba (718050)
Showing 4 of 13 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "penal"?
Closest matches include coercive enforcement, correctional, corrective, criminal law, criminal law case.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "penal"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.