retaliative

Definition of retaliativenext
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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliative
Adjective
  • The lawsuit claims Mavromatis experienced retaliatory consequences for raising concerns about the harassment and hostile work environment.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
  • While the area experienced a two-day outbreak of retaliatory violence and road blockades earlier this year following the killing of a drug cartel leader by the government, no international tourists were harmed during the incidents and Puerto Vallarta is by all accounts back to business as usual.
    Carole Dixon, HollywoodReporter, 21 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
  • Voters who worry about Talarico’s deployment of faith may not be reassured by Paxton’s rather punitive approach to Christianity.
    Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Also in February, the White House unveiled Project Vault, a $12 billion initiative to stockpile critical minerals and insulate American industry from punitive export restrictions.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Remus added that the board supports the strongest appropriate disciplinary action.
    Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Neither the deputies nor their attorneys would comment on the investigation or the disciplinary records, one of the lawyers said.
    Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • The Mexican Mafia was started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that controls smuggling, drug sales and extortion from inside California’s penal system.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Jackson — still handcuffed to Martin — walked toward the correctional officers by the door.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
  • The correctional officer, Jesus Reyes, was charged with conspiring to sell drugs, possessing drugs for sale and transporting drugs across county lines.
    Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 17 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 1 May. 2026.

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