as in retaliatory
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliative
Adjective
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Now European leaders, after tiptoeing around Trump for the past year, are openly discussing retaliatory tariffs.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026 -
That in turn prompted threats of retaliatory economic measures from those countries, which were already subject to tariffs of 10% and 15%.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
21 Jan. 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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For millennia, punishment was considered morally defensible purely on retributive grounds.—
Paul Rosenzweig,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
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Instead, Trump is reinforcing a pattern of tit-for-tat retributive permitting that could ultimately be more damaging to the oil and gas industry, which is under pressure to maintain market share in the US and globally before the economy shifts more to clean energy.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
23 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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So over the past year and a bit, China had put very punitive tariffs on Canadian agricultural products and fish and seafood, shutting Canadians out from one of their primary markets, if not for some of them, their primary market.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
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But the pressure isn’t punitive.—
Shaw Walters,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Inadequate investigative staffing, reluctance to credit inmate testimony, and weak disciplinary processes allowed misconduct to persist.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Libraries now serve as disciplinary centers or are gone from schools entirely.—
Bri Hatch,
Chalkbeat,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In many cases, those who have been arrested are, in essence, disappeared into the federal penal system.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
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Hollfelder had been charged with abuse of residents of penal facilities, a felony that can carry a sentence of up to 1½ years in prison and two years on extended supevision.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The men were also charged, and convicted, of several felonies in Ada County related to the hospital escape and shooting of several correctional officers.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Jan. 2026
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Williams got his degree and would later become a correctional officer and eventually supervisor of security operations at Mount Sinai Medical Center.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
16 Jan. 2026
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“Retaliative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliative. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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