as in retaliatory
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliative
Adjective
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The United States and Israel have conducted coordinated strikes on Iran since February 28, prompting retaliatory attacks that have escalated into a widening war across the Middle East.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026 -
Iran kept up its retaliatory attacks on Israel, American bases and countries around the region.—
Jon Gambrell,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 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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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
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For millennia, punishment was considered morally defensible purely on retributive grounds.—
Paul Rosenzweig,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Doing that is not aggressive or punitive.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Drug policy reform that is grounded in scientific evidence would favor stigma-free counseling and treatment over punitive measures.—
Lauren Micalizzi,
STAT,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Failure to follow the directive could warrant disciplinary action up to and including termination from the police force.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
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Councilmember Vickie Paladino filed a lawsuit against the City Council Monday in an effort to stop a disciplinary process against her for a series of posts disparaging Muslims.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Tennessee had one of the worst penal systems in America, and the problems continued well into the twentieth century.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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Russell is charged with both abuse of residents in penal facilities and misconduct in public office.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Minnesota correctional officials say many people accused of crimes were released directly to ICE by state or county prisons and jails.—
Kate Wells,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2026
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Investigators appeared to have learned of the relationship after correctional officer Donald Robinson’s phone was found in August 2025 in the inmate’s cell.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
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“Retaliative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliative. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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