Synonyms of requite

requite

verb

ri-ˈkwīt 

1

as in to compensate

to provide (someone) with a just payment for loss or injury

the company requited the employee who had fallen on the ice while leaving work by promptly paying all his medical bills, hoping that would stave off a lawsuit

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compensate
• reimburse
• satisfy
• repay
• indemnify
• recompense
• recoup
• pay
• remunerate
• refund
• remedy
• redress
• repair
• discharge
• quit

2

as in to avenge

to punish in kind the wrongdoer responsible for

the future writer would later requite the abuse he suffered at the hands of his classmates by creating scathing portraits of them in his novels

Synonyms & Similar Words

• avenge
• retaliate
• revenge
• redress
• punish
• venge
• get even (for)
• repay
• penalize
• compensate
• correct
• chastise
• castigate
• right
• recompense
• pay (back)
• discipline
• chasten
• fix
• get
• scourge

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forgive
• excuse
• pardon
• remit
• absolve
• condone

3

as in to repay

to make a return for

I fear my love for her will never be requited

Synonyms & Similar Words

• repay
• reciprocate
• recompense
• exchange
• compensate
• satisfy
• reimburse
• pay
• avenge
• indemnify
• retaliate
• refund
• remunerate
• recoup
• give back
• revenge
• restitute
• get back (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignore
• disregard
• owe
• overlook

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb requite contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of requite are reciprocate, retaliate, and return. While all these words mean "to give back usually in kind or in quantity," requite implies a paying back according to one's preference and often not equivalently.

requited her love with cold indifference

When can reciprocate be used instead of requite?

The words reciprocate and requite can be used in similar contexts, but reciprocate implies a mutual or equivalent exchange or a paying back of what one has received.

reciprocated their hospitality by inviting them for a visit

When is retaliate a more appropriate choice than requite?

In some situations, the words retaliate and requite are roughly equivalent. However, retaliate usually implies a paying back of injury in exact kind, often vengefully.

the enemy retaliated by executing their prisoners

When might return be a better fit than requite?

While the synonyms return and requite are close in meaning, return implies a paying or giving back.

returned their call

return good for evil

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of requite

Reflecting Lee’s turmoil as he’s tormented by heroin withdrawals and his not entirely requited affection for Allerton, the film is moody, and the sets reflect the interior landscapes of its characters. —Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 16 Dec. 2024

In the book, the main character falls in love with an android that only pretends to requite his feelings. —IEEE Spectrum, 22 Mar. 2023

But his love wasn’t always requited. —Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023

Looks like the love Taylor Swift has for Grey’s Anatomy is fully requited! —Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 15 Feb. 2023

An intensity which can be called religious characterizes the devotion shown to their community by literally millions of people who routinely sacrifice — time, money, labor — to remark that devotion; and, using their own language, methods, and skills, to requite the community. —William F. Buckley Jr., National Review, 26 Nov. 2020

There’s a lot to requite my love. —Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 18 Aug. 2020

Employers ought to requite that trust by mandating that their staff who work indoors with other employees are vaccinated for Covid-19. —Zachary M. Seward, Quartz, 30 July 2021

Instead, the inciting incidents are all common or garden-variety romantic mishaps — infidelity, unplanned pregnancies, feelings undeclared lest they're not requited. —Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2020

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