as in retaliatory
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Recent Examples of retributive
Russell Vought’s retributive targeting of universities, law firms, and the media.
—
Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 15 July 2025
The lawyer articulated a different retributive vision, one that corresponds to, say, dismantling federal agencies via deregulation, or rooting out dark money—not just handcuffing Trump’s enemies for the camera.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 11 May 2025
There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI should I be confirmed as the FBI director.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2025
Read a list of Trump’s other retributive actions here.
—Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retributive
Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 15 July 2025
The lawyer articulated a different retributive vision, one that corresponds to, say, dismantling federal agencies via deregulation, or rooting out dark money—not just handcuffing Trump’s enemies for the camera.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 11 May 2025
There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI should I be confirmed as the FBI director.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2025
Read a list of Trump’s other retributive actions here.
—Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retributive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retributive
Adjective
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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
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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
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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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
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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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
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
Cite this Entry
“Retributive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retributive. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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