pen·i·ten·tia·ry
ˌpe-nə-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)rē 
plural penitentiaries
1
a
: an officer in some Roman Catholic dioceses vested with power from the bishop to deal with cases of a nature normally handled only by the bishop
b
capitalized
: a cardinal presiding over a tribunal of the Roman curia (see curia sense 3) concerned with dispensations (see dispensation sense 2) and indulgences
2
: a public institution in which offenders against the law are confined for detention or punishment
specifically
: a state or federal prison in the U.S.
a federal penitentiary in Virginia
pen·i·ten·tia·ry
ˌpe-nə-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)rē
sense 1 also -ˈten(t)-shē-ˌer-ē
1
2
: of, relating to, or incurring confinement in a penitentiary
Synonyms
Noun
Examples of penitentiary in a Sentence
Noun
a sentence in the state penitentiary for robbery
Recent Examples on the Web
Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Dec. 2024
The staff at Lee penitentiary is 98% White, according to the bureau, and multiple people said that guards seemed to be especially hostile to Black prisoners — who make up 62% of the prison's population.
—Christie Thompson, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
Anna Chernova, CNN, 5 Dec. 2024
These letters, as in any penitentiary institution in the world, are read and censored.
—Júlia Ledur, Washington Post, 1 June 2023
See all Example Sentences for penitentiary 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Kingstown follows the powerful family in a fictional Michigan town: Kingstown, Michigan, a city whose main industry is nine penitentiaries.
—Adjective
Turbina is deeply fearful of the toll the penitentiary system may take on her son.
—Articles Related to penitentiary
Dictionary Entries Near penitentiary
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penitentiary. Accessed 11 Jan. 2025.
Legal Definition
penitentiary
noun
pen·i·ten·tia·ry
ˌpe-nə-ˈten-chə-rē
plural penitentiaries
: a state or federal prison for the punishment and reformation of convicted felons compare house of correction, house of detention, jail, lockup
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share