VocabauraVOCABAURA

penalty

noun

Simple meaning

A punishment for violating rules of procedure.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pehnuhltee

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɛnəlti

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A punishment for violating rules of procedure.

  2. A disadvantageous consequence of a previous event.

  3. A legal sentence.

  4. In sports

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A punishment for violating rules of procedure.

Used this way, penalty is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Slightly negative
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Critical or judgemental
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use penalty

  • “Neglected his health and paid the penalty.”noun

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “penalty”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

death penaltycivil penaltymaximum penaltyheavy penaltyextreme penalty

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • penalty boxnounCompound term

    An enclosed bench to the side of an ice-hockey rink for players who are serving time penalties.

  • penalty free thrownounCompound term

    An unhindered basketball shot from the foul line.

  • death penaltynounCompound term

    Putting a condemned person to death.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “penalty” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.