penitentiary Synonyms
Another word for penitentiary
• noun (Context 1)
A state or federal prison for individuals convicted of serious crimes and sentenced to long-term confinement.
"The former state prison was converted into a public museum documenting the history of the criminal justice system."
• adjective (Context 2)
Relating to or used for penance, ecclesiastical discipline, or the punishment and reform of criminal offenders.
"Early nineteenth-century reformers advocated for a new penal system focused on rehabilitation rather than corporal punishment."
• noun (Context 3)
An official or priest in the Roman Catholic Church appointed to administer penance and grant absolution in reserved cases, or a tribunal in Rome presiding over matters of conscience and indulgences.
"The bishop appointed a canon confessor at the cathedral to hear confessions involving complex canonical matters."