RETRIBUTIVE Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

retributive

adjective

Definition of retributive

as in retaliatory

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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

Adjective

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
Security forces arrested four armed civilians and recovered four firearms, according to the ministry’s statement, which urged communities to avoid retaliatory attacks.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of retaliatory

Adjective

Yet there are few examples in history of adversaries conceding to maximalist demands in the face of punitive bombing campaigns alone—even by the world’s greatest air force.

— Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
An exploration of self-perception and a non-punitive confrontation with the past.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of punitive

Adjective

For Beccaria, an execution’s fleeting spectacle deterred less effectively than lifelong penal servitude.

— Maurizio Valsania, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Their ruling states that investigators should not have cited penal law as justification for seizing the artwork, and reproaches a lower court’s previous approval of their methods.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of penal

Adjective

Hospitals require a multi-disciplinary team of specialists working together to provide care for the patients before, during and after treatment.

— Steven Ross Johnson, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
The court rejected the taxpayer’s argument and warned Wagner that submitting fake citations could lead to sanctions from the court, including financial penalties or disciplinary action against Wagner.

— Kaitlin Newkirk, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of disciplinary

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retributions

retributive

retributory

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“Retributive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retributive. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of retributive

adjective

Example Sentences

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