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

Pre-fight tensions escalated at the weigh-ins, with Itauma shoving Hrgovic off the stage, leading to a retaliatory slap from Hrgovic, adding fuel to the already compelling matchup.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Canada is now planning retaliatory tariffs on American goods.

— Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of retaliatory

Adjective

The absolute yield level isn’t broadly punitive yet to big companies.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026
Jurors awarded $6 million in damages ($3 million compensatory and $3 million punitive) to a 20-year-old woman whose compulsive childhood use of Instagram and YouTube exacerbated her severe depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia.

— Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of punitive

Adjective

Eight officials have since been suspended, and disciplinary proceedings initiated against them following the inquiry.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
An officer with the Porter County Sheriff’s Department who misused the county’s license plate reader system has been demoted, suspended without pay and faced other disciplinary measures, according to a release from Sheriff Jeffery Balon.

— Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of disciplinary

Browse Nearby Words

retributions

retributive

retributory

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“Retributive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retributive. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of retributive

adjective

Example Sentences

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