as in revengeful
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Recent Examples of retaliatory
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants.
—
Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Alex Mengden, policy analyst at Tax Foundation Europe, said EU officials have typically sought to downplay the potential for any retaliatory steps from major economies when the final stage of CBAM kicks in.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 30 Sep. 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
The rapper Killer Mike makes the most of his limited screen time as the no-nonsense publisher of a local tabloid that prints Lee’s more lowbrow, retaliatory material, including the mug shots and criminal histories of some goons who assaulted him.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
That deal was struck in lieu of a retaliatory capital tax on foreign investors that was passed in the House version of the bill but was later removed by the Senate.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 18 Sep. 2025
Overnight, Delaware has gone from almost no meaningful protection for free speech against harassing and retaliatory lawsuits to very substantial protection.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Perhaps in a retaliatory response, the president would fire even more of the Fed’s governors.
—James B. Speta, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Alex Mengden, policy analyst at Tax Foundation Europe, said EU officials have typically sought to downplay the potential for any retaliatory steps from major economies when the final stage of CBAM kicks in.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 30 Sep. 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
The rapper Killer Mike makes the most of his limited screen time as the no-nonsense publisher of a local tabloid that prints Lee’s more lowbrow, retaliatory material, including the mug shots and criminal histories of some goons who assaulted him.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
That deal was struck in lieu of a retaliatory capital tax on foreign investors that was passed in the House version of the bill but was later removed by the Senate.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 18 Sep. 2025
Overnight, Delaware has gone from almost no meaningful protection for free speech against harassing and retaliatory lawsuits to very substantial protection.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Perhaps in a retaliatory response, the president would fire even more of the Fed’s governors.
—James B. Speta, Twin Cities, 16 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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But a federal judge threw out the lawsuit in March 2024, excoriating the platform’s case as plainly punitive rather than about protecting the platform’s security and legal rights.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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Then, just before voting to pass the bill last month, the House adopted an amendment that raised the fines to $25,000 for an initial violation and $125,000 for subsequent offenses, making the measure the most financially punitive bathroom restriction in the country, according to The Texas Tribune.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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After an internal review, bureau leadership determined that the agents had not violated any specific policy and that no disciplinary action was necessary.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
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The superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools has apologized for the incident and applied serious disciplinary consequences to their student athlete consistent with its student policies and code of conduct.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2025.
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