as in retaliatory
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliative
Adjective
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And so this clearly appears to be a retaliatory act for jokes made on the air.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026 -
Iranian Vice President Esmael Saghab Esfahani said any strike on the country’s oil wells would prompt a retaliatory attack, according to a statement carried by the semiofficial Mehr News Agency.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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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Voters who worry about Talarico’s deployment of faith may not be reassured by Paxton’s rather punitive approach to Christianity.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
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Also in February, the White House unveiled Project Vault, a $12 billion initiative to stockpile critical minerals and insulate American industry from punitive export restrictions.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Remus added that the board supports the strongest appropriate disciplinary action.—
Daniel I. Dorfman,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Neither the deputies nor their attorneys would comment on the investigation or the disciplinary records, one of the lawyers said.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In the new South, one scrabbling to industrialize, business owners could now hire unpaid labor through the penal system.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
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The Mexican Mafia was started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that controls smuggling, drug sales and extortion from inside California’s penal system.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Thedford didn’t doubt that Talley made efforts at self-improvement while behind bars, but noted that one of his previous cases involved a charge of Talley throwing feces at a correctional officer while in custody.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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Video footage of the incident obtained by KQED appears to show the women gesticulating and shouting at the correctional staff before the officers form a line and deploy pepper spray and mace grenades at the group.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Retaliative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliative. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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