PUNITIVE

[adjective] - intended as a punishmentThe teacher has taken punitive action against the children who broke the rules.The UN has imposed punitive sanctions on the invading country.(legal) She is suing the newspaper for $5 million punitive damages claiming they knew the article about her was untrue.(figurative) The President has threatened to impose punitive (= severe and so causing difficult conditions) import duties/tariffs on a range of foreign goods.