death penalty
305
4.1
- noun
- /dɛθ ˈpɛnəlti/
- NSFW
:
pena de muerte
- Many countries have abolished the death penalty due to concerns over human rights.
- death penalty cases
- abolition of the death penalty
- imposition of the death penalty
And if nobody shows up, the death penalty sentence is commuted.
- And if nobody shows up, the death penalty sentence is commuted.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi seeks the death penalty for UHCCEO Brian Thompson's killer.
- What he does is he only does death penalty appeals.
- If they are caught in same sex conduct, they might face the death penalty.
- How many people have you represented that have received the death penalty?
- And she's a fan of ending the death penalty.
- But, you know, if they, the Russians, had found him, they would have given him the death, death penalty.
- And they've passed laws in a lot of, a lot of countries actually pass giving you the death penalty if if you're if you're caught at it.
- Yes, there are people who have had faced extreme disciplinary actions and, and, and potentially worse, the death penalty.
- It wasn't the death penalty but the sentences were really stiff, almost kind of out of touch stiff.
- So at a certain point they lower the death penalty for children.
- Saying publicly about the death penalty is a pro-life issue.
Examples
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Can you really make an argument that the death penalty is unconstitutional?
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The DA is calling for the death penalty.
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In such cases, the State is allowed to seek the death penalty.
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The state is not asking for the death penalty in this case.
Academic text (1994) -
One provision provided the death penalty for the stealing of another human being.
Academic text (1991) -
The court found that the death penalty was both cruel and unusual.
Academic text (1993) -
A single lapse of security and he could face the death penalty.
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But the reality is that the death penalty does not often result in actual executions.
Academic text (1994) -
If convicted on two counts of murder, Dr. Coletti will face the death penalty.
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And that's a death penalty offence like aggravated murder.
Synonyms
56
5.2
An official punishment where a court orders someone to be put to death for a crime
48
4.2
The legal killing of someone by the government for a serious crime
Antonyms
How Severe
- NSFW
305
4.1
76
5.7
- Formal
88
4.0
- Formal
187
5.6
108
2.7
321
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the legal punishment of death' is directly derivable from combining 'death' (end of life) with 'penalty' (punishment/sanction): it simply denotes a penalty that is death. This noun+noun compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows straightforward semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
The noun death penalty comes from courts that gave the worst penalty, actual death, for very serious crimes. So, it means 'the legal punishment of death'.