- to make punishable; set a penalty for (an offense, etc.)
- to impose a penalty on; specif., to subject to a handicap in a contest as penalty for the infraction of a rule
- to put at a disadvantage
transitive verbpe·nal·ized, pe·nal·iz·ing, pe·nal·iz·es
- a. To subject (a person) to a penalty, especially for infringement of a law or regulation. See Synonyms at punish.b. To make (an action or a condition) liable to a penalty: Tripping is penalized in hockey.
- To impose a handicap on; place at a disadvantage: was penalized by his poor education.
(third-person singular simple present penalizes, present participle penalizing, simple past and past participle penalized)
From penal +"Ž -ize.