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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And so this clearly appears to be a retaliatory act for jokes made on the air.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Retributory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retributory. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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