as in retaliatory
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliative
Adjective
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His announcement came a week after a Suffolk Superior Court judge decided to allow a lawsuit that alleges retaliatory assessment practices by the city to proceed.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
26 May 2026 -
In response, Iran launched waves of retaliatory strikes across the Middle East and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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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
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His erratic, punitive and ultimately unconstitutional approach to tariffs has resulted in an economic mess of payouts to farmers and reimbursements.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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The police department ordinarily aims to defer disciplinary issues at schools to staff for resolution rather than taking punitive action, Pieritz said.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Others described disciplinary processes that escalated quickly and unpredictably, often tied to subjective assessments of behavior rather than remediable clinical skills.—
Vanessa Grubbs,
STAT,
1 June 2026
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Working underwater The project’s unique edge stems from its cross-disciplinary leadership.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Colorado was the first of eight states to repeal its penal exception clause.—
Julia Bowling,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
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The charges included seven counts of falsifying a record and one felony count of abuse of a resident of a penal facility.—
Nichole Manna,
ProPublica,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Our organization also played a leading role in modernizing Connecticut;s correctional system, helping lay the groundwork for the creation of the Connecticut Department of Correction in 1968 and participating in the selection of its first commissioner.—
Beth Hines,
Hartford Courant,
4 June 2026
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Crucially, the governor’s proposal goes deep into state correctional institutions, pushing to elevate the starting pay of correctional officers and funding 500 new positions.—
John Koufos,
Sun Sentinel,
2 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Retaliative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliative. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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