retaliative

adjective

Definition of retaliativenext
as in retaliatory

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliative
  1. retaliatory
  2. revengeful
  3. retributive
  4. punitive
  5. disciplinary
  6. penal
  7. correctional
Adjective
  • Ukraine, meanwhile, has escalated its retaliatory strikes on Russia in recent months, partly to pressure Moscow to the negotiating table after nearly four-and-a-half years of war.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 73,300 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which was part of the Hamas-run government.
    — Toqa Ezzidin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of retaliatory
Adjective
  • DeMar DeRozan had 32, Russell Westbrook had a revengeful 22 and Malik Monk had 26 off the bench.
    — Zach Harper, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Brian Heil played Don Jose with angst and ultimately, revengeful rage as Carmen’s spurned lover.
    — Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
Definition of revengeful
Adjective
  • The interviewees were willing to talk openly and honestly about Trump covered by anonymity, a necessity to protect them from this fiercely thin-skinned and retributive president.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 25 June 2026
  • And there’s no question that Israel was pursuing both a political agenda as well as retributive-justice agenda.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 June 2026
Definition of retributive
Adjective
  • Train and reframe the narrative to show that surveillance is not punitive but a tool designed to remove friction from their shift.
    — Robert Messer, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Health policy researchers and hospice administrators worry that the negative attention on the industry and potential for overly punitive regulations could put California patients and taxpayers on the losing end.
    — Laurie Udesky, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
Definition of punitive
Adjective
  • The backpedaling comes just weeks after an I-Team investigation showed contention over the disciplinary process.
    — Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Willian, another player listed in the disciplinary charges, wasn’t too shabby, either.
    — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of disciplinary
Adjective
  • The 47-month sentence is notable given the Dutch penal system’s typically short prison terms.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 9 June 2026
  • Colorado was the first of eight states to repeal its penal exception clause.
    — Julia Bowling, The Conversation, 29 May 2026
Definition of penal
Adjective
  • Corrections officials wanted to reduce a correctional officer’s pay by 5% for roughly 30 weeks after he was accused of using force against an inmate and failing to report a colleague’s use of force in two January 2024 incidents.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 29 July 2026
  • Florida hasn’t executed more than one person in a single day since 1964, according to the state’s correctional records.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 26 July 2026
Definition of correctional
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

retaliations
retaliative
retaliatory
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Retaliative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliative. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All