as in retributive
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Recent Examples of retributory
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.
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BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2021
BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retributory
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 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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Retributory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retributory. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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