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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
  • Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Trade talks between the two collapsed last month, triggering retaliatory tariffs between the North American neighbors.
    — Mariam Khan, ABC News, 16 Sep. 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
  • For Kyiv, punitive sanctions that impose real economic costs on Moscow are a key part of that strategy.
    — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But the city says the overall goal is to make parking less confusing and less punitive.
    — Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of punitive
Adjective
  • The museum, spanning a former cell block wing, is a deeply informative and well curated journey through the evolution of the nation’s penal system.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026
  • While the two men entered the Russian penal system around the same time, their cases differ significantly.
    — Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of penal
Adjective
  • Beneath the symbolism is Xi’s fear that China could end up like the Soviet Union, whose own Communist Party, Xi believes, let its internal disciplinary mechanisms atrophy and thus was the architect of its own demise.
    — ANDREW MERTHA, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Triunfel had no disciplinary history with the NYPD before his arrest, officials said.
    — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of disciplinary

Browse Nearby Words

retributions
retributive
retributory
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Cite this Entry

“Retributive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retributive. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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