retaliative

Definition of retaliativenext
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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliative
Adjective
  • The ripples from retaliatory tariffs aren’t contained to Midwestern staple crops.
    Tristan Bove, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Early in his career, Bales worked on the department’s gang task force, part of an effort to get ahead of retaliatory violence.
    Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
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
Adjective
  • Any government action against a licensee would cause a protracted legal battle, even more so given the current media-bashing climate, because a station would likely cite Trump’s retributive streak and mount a First Amendment case.
    Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 15 Mar. 2026
  • The images captured by bystanders and immigration agents were reminiscent of the lynching postcards that white spectators once bought and traded — reproductions of retributive violence, tailor-made to titillate and intimidate.
    Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The United States last year also blocked imports from a major South Korean salt farm accused of using slave labor, becoming the first trade partner to take punitive action against a decadeslong problem on salt farms in islands off the country’s southwest coast.
    ABC News, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
  • At the same time, human-rights organizations reported repression inside the El Rodeo I prison, where foreign political detainees launched a protest that authorities allegedly responded to with tear gas and punitive measures.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Professionally, Tibe’s been a licensed practical nurse since April 4, 2007, based in Sunrise and Lauderdale Lakes, with no previous professional disciplinary actions.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Jacobs and Bradfield will face disciplinary processes by the marathon’s disciplinary subcommittee, said Two Oceans Marathon board member Stuart Mann, who helped uncover the deception.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The colony’s penal function brought in large sums from the British treasury.
    Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Centuries of penal laws had left Catholics as impoverished tenant farmers, while Protestants – wealthier and less reliant on the crop – had greater resources to survive.
    Paula Kane, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • And a study by the New York City Department of Investigation showed test error rates from 79% to 91% in some correctional settings.
    Holly Yan, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The opportunities extend beyond associate degrees, with some universities offering full bachelor's programs tailored to specific correctional populations.
    CBS News, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Retaliative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliative. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.

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