Punishment vs. Sentence — What's the Difference?

A consequence intended to reform behavior.

A formal declaration of punishment.

A penalty imposed for wrongdoing.

A judicial order following a conviction.

A method of enforcing discipline.

The outcome of a legal trial.

A deterrent to prevent undesirable actions.

An element of the criminal justice system.

A retaliatory measure.

A legal consequence specific to criminal acts.

Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon a group or individual, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a response and deterrent to a particular action or behavior that is deemed undesirable or unacceptable. It is, however, possible to distinguish between various different understandings of what punishment is.The reasoning for punishment may be to condition a child to avoid self-endangerment, to impose social conformity (in particular, in the contexts of compulsory education or military discipline), to defend norms, to protect against future harms (in particular, those from violent crime), and to maintain the law—and respect for rule of law—under which the social group is governed.

A grammatical unit that is syntactically independent and has a subject that is expressed or, as in imperative sentences, understood and a predicate that contains at least one finite verb.

The imposition of a penalty or deprivation for wrongdoing

The penalty imposed by a law court or other authority upon someone found guilty of a crime or other offense.

A penalty imposed for wrongdoing

(Archaic) A maxim.

Rough treatment or use

(Obsolete) An opinion, especially one given formally after deliberation.

The act or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction.

To impose a sentence on (a criminal defendant found guilty, for example).

A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.

(dated) The decision or judgement of a jury or court; a verdict.

A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution

The judicial order for a punishment to be imposed on a person convicted of a crime.

(figuratively) Any harsh treatment or experience; rough handling.

A punishment imposed on a person convicted of a crime.

The act of punishing.

(obsolete) A saying, especially from a great person; a maxim, an apophthegm.

Any pain, suffering, or loss inflicted on a person because of a crime or offense.

(grammar) A grammatically complete series of words consisting of a subject and predicate, even if one or the other is implied, and typically beginning with a capital letter and ending with a full stop or other punctuation.

A penalty inflicted by a court of justice on a convicted offender as a just retribution, and incidentally for the purposes of reformation and prevention.

(logic) A formula with no free variables.

Severe, rough, or disastrous treatment.

(computing theory) Any of the set of strings that can be generated by a given formal grammar.

The act of punishing

(obsolete) Sense; meaning; significance.

(obsolete) One's opinion; manner of thinking.

A pronounced opinion or judgment on a given question.

To declare a sentence on a convicted person; to condemn to punishment.

To decree, announce, or pass as a sentence.

(obsolete) To utter sententiously.

Sense; meaning; significance.

An opinion; a decision; a determination; a judgment, especially one of an unfavorable nature.

A philosophical or theological opinion; a dogma; as, Summary of the Sentences; Book of the Sentences.

In civil and admiralty law, the judgment of a court pronounced in a cause; in criminal and ecclesiastical courts, a judgment passed on a criminal by a court or judge; condemnation pronounced by a judicial tribunal; doom. In common law, the term is exclusively used to denote the judgment in criminal cases.

A short saying, usually containing moral instruction; a maxim; an axiom; a saw.

A combination of words which is complete as expressing a thought, and in writing is marked at the close by a period, or full point. See Proposition, 4.

To pass or pronounce judgment upon; to doom; to condemn to punishment; to prescribe the punishment of.

To decree or announce as a sentence.

To utter sententiously.

A string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language;

(criminal law) a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed;

The period of time a prisoner is imprisoned;

Pronounce a sentence on (somebody) in a court of law;

A sentence typically includes imprisonment, probation, fines, or other legal measures.

In non-judicial contexts, punishment is enforced by authorities like parents or educators without formal proceedings.

The law provides guidelines, procedures, and standards that determine the nature and severity of sentences.

The primary goal of punishment is to deter undesirable behavior and enforce societal norms.

Yes, punishment can occur in various non-legal contexts such as families or schools.

A sentence is specifically a judicial decree following a conviction, unlike other punishments that can be informal.

Cultural perceptions can significantly influence what is considered appropriate punishment in different contexts.

Yes, both punishment and sentences can serve retributive purposes, aiming to right wrongs by penalizing the offender.

Yes, a sentence always includes punitive elements but may also aim at rehabilitation and public safety.

Sentences can be appealed in higher courts, but informal punishments usually do not have a formal appellate process.

A sentence typically results in a criminal record, which can affect future employment, travel, and more.