recrimination

noun

re·​crim·​i·​na·​tion ri-ˌkri-mə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce recrimination (audio)
: a retaliatory accusation
also : the making of such accusations
endless recrimination
recriminate intransitive verb
recriminative adjective
recriminatory adjective

Examples of recrimination in a Sentence

The discussion turned into a heated debate with recriminations flying back and forth. The meeting ended with bitterness and recrimination.
Recent Examples on the Web In their hands, the play is above all about friendship, about how the pyrotechnics of living together—argument and consolation, recrimination and love—are a stay against an often comfortless world. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023 Those recriminations, however, are less politically sensitive than the accusation that humanitarian workers could have engaged in an act of terror, an allegation being taken seriously by the U.N. leadership, the United States and the European Union. Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 For decades, recriminations involving drug addiction and emotional abuse flew back and forth between the two in tabloid stories and tell-all memoirs. Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2023 Some of that comes from watching Swift’s face register the ache, tsking recrimination. Wesley Morris, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023 The attack caught Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence services off guard, and sparked bitter recriminations after months of warnings from security officials about the country’s deteriorating capacity for deterrence. Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2023 Pointed fingers and angry recriminations punctuated the Harford County Council meeting on Tuesday night, as members argued about amendments to a hotel tax revenue bill that would alter the way revenue is distributed across the county. Peder Schaefer, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2024 This change led to a firestorm of understandable anger and recrimination across the game development community. Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 15 Sep. 2023 That would be Cush Jumbo’s June Lenker, a relative newcomer to the Metropolitan Police whose suspicions about Mr. Capaldi’s esteemed detective Daniel Hegarty lead to no end of trouble, recriminations and revelations. John Anderson, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recrimination.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin recrimination-, recriminatio, from recriminare to make a retaliatory charge, from Latin re- + criminari to accuse — more at criminate

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of recrimination was circa 1611

Dictionary Entries Near recrimination

Cite this Entry

“Recrimination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recrimination. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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