as in revengeful
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Recent Examples of retaliatory
The United Arab Emirates has come under retaliatory Iranian strikes since the war began more than three weeks ago.
—
Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
While Qatar is not directly involved in the war, the country along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain have also been targets of retaliatory Iranian missiles or drone strikes, with hundreds of missiles fired and intercepted, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Those strikes led to retaliatory attacks on Qatari oil infrastructure.
—Justin Fishel, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Hours earlier, the United States and Israel had launched strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory Iranian attacks across the region.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026
Expelling Iranian diplomatic personnel marks one of Doha’s strongest retaliatory steps to date and signals a possible shift away from its traditionally cautious approach toward Iran.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2026
Iran has targeted energy and transport infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates as part of its retaliatory strikes, boosting concerns of a prolonged global energy crisis.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026
The measure marks a retaliatory response from Republican lawmakers, who placed the amendment on the ballot after the 2024 vote that legalized access.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
At least 12 people have been killed by Iran's retaliatory attacks in Israel.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
While Qatar is not directly involved in the war, the country along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain have also been targets of retaliatory Iranian missiles or drone strikes, with hundreds of missiles fired and intercepted, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Those strikes led to retaliatory attacks on Qatari oil infrastructure.
—Justin Fishel, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Hours earlier, the United States and Israel had launched strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory Iranian attacks across the region.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026
Expelling Iranian diplomatic personnel marks one of Doha’s strongest retaliatory steps to date and signals a possible shift away from its traditionally cautious approach toward Iran.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2026
Iran has targeted energy and transport infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates as part of its retaliatory strikes, boosting concerns of a prolonged global energy crisis.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026
The measure marks a retaliatory response from Republican lawmakers, who placed the amendment on the ballot after the 2024 vote that legalized access.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
At least 12 people have been killed by Iran's retaliatory attacks in Israel.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliatory
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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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
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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
Adjective
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The jurors reached the compensatory verdict first, then had to go back and deliberate further to come up with the punitive award.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
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However, if Tuesday’s $375 million verdict out of a similar social media trial in New Mexico is any blueprint, expect the punitive award in the West Coast trial to be a comparable amount.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The man said the issue is mostly in elementary schools, with younger students having different disciplinary guidelines.—
Julia Avant,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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The arbitration would be binding, forcing the chief to take disciplinary action.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Centuries of penal laws had left Catholics as impoverished tenant farmers, while Protestants – wealthier and less reliant on the crop – had greater resources to survive.—
Paula Kane,
The Conversation,
13 Mar. 2026
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But those who do get caught end up experiencing the Gulf’s penal system for at least a while, which is something most tourists and residents would prefer to avoid.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retaliatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliatory. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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