as in retaliatory
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliative
Adjective
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Russia heightened security for Victory Day celebrations Saturday, including shutting down mobile internet in Moscow and warning of potential retaliatory strikes if Ukrainian attacks disrupt the event.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026 -
The war began on February 28, with US and Israeli attacks on Iran triggering retaliatory Iranian strikes across the region.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
1 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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Still employed, but no raise The mayor’s colleagues wisely rejected that punitive step, and commissioners Steve Glassman and John Herbst then joined the mayor in rejecting a 3% merit pay raise for Williams.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
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His persistence in teaching, even under Lomax’s punitive schedules, shows his resilience.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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That administration established political control over key judicial institutions by stacking higher courts with friendly judges and punishing its critics with disciplinary action or assignments to faraway locations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
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Councilmember Vickie Paladino has agreed to drop her lawsuit against the City Council, which will now end disciplinary proceedings against her — the latest step in an ongoing saga over a series of anti-Muslim tweets posted by the councilmember.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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In the new South, one scrabbling to industrialize, business owners could now hire unpaid labor through the penal system.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The arrest document said Regina Cantrell is a Johnson County correctional officer.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
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Wilske’s complaint questioned why the police officers didn’t request additional information from dispatch, especially since one of the correctional officers was on an open line with dispatch when Anderson shot Wilske.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
5 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Retaliative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliative. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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