retributive

adjective

Definition of retributivenext
as in retaliatory

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of retributive The Front Page Highlights The president’s unilateral and retributive style of governing is starting to hit a wall in both chambers of Congress. — Katie Rogers Adriana Loureiro Fernandez Nina Agrawal Ryan Mac, New York Times, 5 June 2026 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 For millennia, punishment was considered morally defensible purely on retributive grounds. — Paul Rosenzweig, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for retributive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retributive
  1. retaliatory
  2. revengeful
  3. retributory
  4. punitive
  5. penal
  6. disciplinary
Adjective
  • In less than 48 hours, five people were killed, and as many as 10 others were injured in multiple shootings across Baltimore, prompting Mayor Brandon Scott to call a meeting with police command staff to discuss efforts to stop retaliatory violence.
    — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The targeting of civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, particularly airports, illustrates the retaliatory logic the Houthis have invoked to justify their actions.
    — Laurent Bonnefoy, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of retaliatory
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of revengeful
Adjective
  • As Afghanistan's once-again rulers, the Taliban would refrain from retributory violence and respect women's rights - at least so far as Islam allows.
    — BostonGlobe.com, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2021
Definition of retributory
Adjective
  • In recent years, affirmative litigation has become an essential tool for defending against punitive federal policy and recovering public funds, Pines and others said.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Trump has slapped tariffs on the Brazilian economy and punitive sanctions on Alexandre de Moraes, the chief justice most heavily involved in the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of punitive
Adjective
  • McKnight ordered the restrictions after the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), which handles certain disciplinary actions involving clergy, issued a penal precept for Kallal.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Some of those lawmakers also want structural shifts in the country’s penal system, drawing inspiration from the mass-incarceration model of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, if Bolsonaro wins and wants to spend funds toward that end.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of penal
Adjective
  • Following an investigation by the OSC, disciplinary measures for Hatch Act violations are determined by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), an independent judicial agency within the Executive branch.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Gonzalez said the department could not comment further on disciplinary proceedings, citing personnel exemptions in the Missouri Sunshine Law.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of disciplinary

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retributive
retributory
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Cite this Entry

“Retributive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retributive. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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