rejoinder

noun

re·​join·​der ri-ˈjȯin-dər How to pronounce rejoinder (audio)
1
: the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's replication
2
: reply
specifically : an answer to a reply
Choose the Right Synonym for rejoinder

answer, response, reply, rejoinder, retort mean something spoken, written, or done in return.

answer implies the satisfying of a question, demand, call, or need.

had answers to all their questions

response may imply a quick or spontaneous reaction to a person or thing that serves as a stimulus.

a response to the call for recruits

reply often suggests a thorough response to all issues, points, or questions raised.

a point-by-point reply to the accusation

rejoinder can be a response to a reply or to an objection.

a salesman with a quick rejoinder to every argument

retort implies a reaction to an implicit or explicit charge, criticism, or attack which contains a countercharge or counterattack.

she made a cutting retort to her critics

Example Sentences

The article was a stinging rejoinder to her critics. he always has a smart-aleck rejoinder to everything
Recent Examples on the Web The suggestion provoked a sharp rejoinder. Irv Erdoscolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2022 But in the West’s own defiant rejoinder, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday reiterated that the European Union intends to break Russia’s grip on global energy markets and would press ahead with not only the cap on oil prices but on gas prices as well. Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 What was the GOP’s rejoinder? The Editorial Board, WSJ, 30 Dec. 2020 George’s night was not only a rejoinder for his own past disappointment but helped his team avoid a repeat of the unraveling that defined last season’s failures, when the Clippers allowed double-digit leads to disappear in their final three losses of the playoffs. Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2020 Green's rejoinder seems convincing to me, except for this line: Unlike, say, health care reform, climate issues generally break down by geographic region rather than by party. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2011 Or, at least, that’s what the title to the breakneck comedy sequel — the rejoinder to 2018’s Accident Man, starring English filmmaker, actor, and martial artist Scott Adkins — suggests. Vulture, 7 Mar. 2023 It’s been well over two years since TikTok arrived in the United States in August 2018, offering a rejoinder to anyone who thought social media had lost its way. Taylor Lorenz, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2020 Her work provided a potent rejoinder to anyone arguing that addiction was simply a matter of willpower. Adam Piore, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2014 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rejoinder.' 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

Middle English rejoiner, from Anglo-French rejoinder, from rejoinder, verb

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rejoinder was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near rejoinder

Cite this Entry

“Rejoinder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rejoinder. Accessed 30 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

rejoinder

noun
re·​join·​der ri-ˈjȯin-dər How to pronounce rejoinder (audio)
: reply entry 2
especially : an answer to a reply

Legal Definition

rejoinder

noun
re·​join·​der ri-ˈjȯin-dər How to pronounce rejoinder (audio)
: an answer to a reply
specifically : the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's reply or replication under common-law pleading
Etymology

Anglo-French, from rejoindre rejoinder to make rejoinder, literally, to join again, meet, from Old French, from re- again + joindre to join

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