as in revengeful
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Recent Examples of retaliatory
Newsom and other proponents said the retaliatory ballot measure was a way of fighting fire with fire.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni began in December 2024 when Lively sued him for misconduct on the set of It Ends with Us — which Baldoni also directed — and a retaliatory smear campaign.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Henrikson, who vocally supported Rupert’s return, was subsequently placed on leave for what parents describe as retaliatory reasons.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2025
The relatively warm language ahead of Thursday’s talks, likely to overshadow a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders, stood in sharp contrast to heated rhetoric from Washington and Beijing in recent months that at one point saw the two countries impose retaliatory tariffs of more than 100%.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
He is whisked away from a charity basketball event to his Air Force One, where Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves (Jonah Hauer-King) hands him the Black Bag and instructs him to choose which retaliatory strike option to approve.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025
Franke said producers have to make long-term decisions about which crops to plant and whether to expand sheep and cattle herds, but tariffs and the threat of countries imposing retaliatory duties add a new layer of complexity.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2025
More than 70,000 people died in the Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza, which also razed the Palestinian territory to the ground, leaving most of its two million strong population living in tents and without regular food supplies.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
Later on Sunday, the IDF announced the resumption of the ceasefire, following retaliatory strikes.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni began in December 2024 when Lively sued him for misconduct on the set of It Ends with Us — which Baldoni also directed — and a retaliatory smear campaign.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Henrikson, who vocally supported Rupert’s return, was subsequently placed on leave for what parents describe as retaliatory reasons.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2025
The relatively warm language ahead of Thursday’s talks, likely to overshadow a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders, stood in sharp contrast to heated rhetoric from Washington and Beijing in recent months that at one point saw the two countries impose retaliatory tariffs of more than 100%.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
He is whisked away from a charity basketball event to his Air Force One, where Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves (Jonah Hauer-King) hands him the Black Bag and instructs him to choose which retaliatory strike option to approve.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025
Franke said producers have to make long-term decisions about which crops to plant and whether to expand sheep and cattle herds, but tariffs and the threat of countries imposing retaliatory duties add a new layer of complexity.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2025
More than 70,000 people died in the Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza, which also razed the Palestinian territory to the ground, leaving most of its two million strong population living in tents and without regular food supplies.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
Later on Sunday, the IDF announced the resumption of the ceasefire, following retaliatory strikes.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 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 incident, as well as post-ceasefire clashes between Israeli forces and Gazans and retributive executions by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, underscores the fragility of Trump's historic deal, which is still only in its initial phase.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Under federal law, Hatton said, civil detainees — including undocumented immigrants — must be held under conditions that are not punitive.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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Walsh and his leadership team insist their version is voluntary, not punitive.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Both players have been placed on non-disciplinary leave during the 2025 MLB season in relation to a sports betting probe.—
David Close,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
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Barrett also asked if the state took any disciplinary action against the officials who shaved off Landor’s hair.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Retaliatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliatory. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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