as in revengeful
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Recent Examples of retaliatory
Back in September, the Chinese government enacted a law that allows for the imposition of retaliatory fees or port access denials for vessels from countries that take discriminatory actions against Chinese vessels or carriers.
—
Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
Israel's retaliatory offensive has displaced around 90% of Gaza's population of some 2 million, often multiple times, and restrictions on humanitarian aid have contributed to a severe hunger crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
In her view, criticism of Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and blockade, which have resulted in more than sixty-seven thousand recorded deaths, is Nazism by another name.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
And even though retaliatory tariffs have been lifted, some Canadian provinces have left their American alcohol bans in place.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2025
The majority of Canadian provinces continue to ban American spirits from shelves, though Canada removed its retaliatory tariff on the products weeks ago, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said.
—Joseph Hostetler, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Administration officials have for weeks acknowledged American farmers in particular have been hurt by the president’s trade relationship with China, which includes a 55 percent tariff on most goods from China and a retaliatory tariff from Beijing on American goods.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 1 Oct. 2025
The board's vote to then send Calles to work from home was also retaliatory, according to the statement read by Sun.
—Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 30 Sep. 2025
The system guarantees a retaliatory response in the event of nuclear attack, reinforcing deterrence.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
Israel's retaliatory offensive has displaced around 90% of Gaza's population of some 2 million, often multiple times, and restrictions on humanitarian aid have contributed to a severe hunger crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
In her view, criticism of Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and blockade, which have resulted in more than sixty-seven thousand recorded deaths, is Nazism by another name.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
And even though retaliatory tariffs have been lifted, some Canadian provinces have left their American alcohol bans in place.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2025
The majority of Canadian provinces continue to ban American spirits from shelves, though Canada removed its retaliatory tariff on the products weeks ago, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said.
—Joseph Hostetler, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Administration officials have for weeks acknowledged American farmers in particular have been hurt by the president’s trade relationship with China, which includes a 55 percent tariff on most goods from China and a retaliatory tariff from Beijing on American goods.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 1 Oct. 2025
The board's vote to then send Calles to work from home was also retaliatory, according to the statement read by Sun.
—Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 30 Sep. 2025
The system guarantees a retaliatory response in the event of nuclear attack, reinforcing deterrence.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliatory
Adjective
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Fans hoping for a revengeful scoring outburst were left wanting a little more, however, as Dončić — a career 28.6 points per game scorer — added only 10 points over the final three quarters.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC News,
26 Feb. 2025
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Eventually, this revengeful streak will result in loneliness and isolation.—
Nicole Froio,
refinery29.com,
29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The Austro-Hungarian Empire’s retributive demands against Serbia led Russia, a Serbian ally, to mobilize its forces, which in turn provoked Germany to build up troops against Russia and England, another Russian ally.—
JOEL WUTHNOW,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Sep. 2025
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The ongoing feud between President Trump and Bolton, who served as his national security adviser during his first term, has prompted some critics to argue Friday morning’s raid of his home and office was a retributive act.—
Amalia Huot-Marchand,
The Hill,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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To the extent permitted by applicable law, all judgments or awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket damages (excluding attorneys’ fees) associated with participation in this Promotion and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
13 Oct. 2025
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But opponents, mostly representing wealthier communities, said the bill contained punitive requirements from the state.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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On the other hand, for Branch, there may very well be some kind of disciplinary action from the league coming his way.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Kirkpatrick’s successor, LeRonne Armstrong, served until 2023, when then-Mayor Sheng Thao fired him over a misconduct scandal involving the Oakland Police Department’s internal disciplinary process.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The Chinese are also concentrating on plug-in hybrids, which don’t carry the same penal tariffs as pure EVs, and which may have a long-term future if the EU decides to dilute its carbon dioxide emissions regime.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retaliatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliatory. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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