retaliation
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
- counterretaliation noun
- nonretaliation noun
Etymology
Origin of retaliation
Explanation
Retaliation is an act of revenge. Before you initiate retaliation on someone who has wronged you, consider whether he or she might have a ninja alter ego and a set of nunchucks stashed away. The noun retaliation stems from the Latin retaliare, meaning “pay back in kind.” Notice the word kind in that definition. Retaliation used to have both good and evil connotations. Now, though, it’s important to read that kind as synonymous with type or sort because retaliation has since lost its positive sense. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
Vocabulary lists containing retaliation
Fahrenheit 451
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The Crucible
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The Hate U Give
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Its strategy, which has a narrow margin for error, depends on sustaining pressure without provoking overwhelming retaliation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Iran had previously said it was ready for any eventuality and defiantly refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which it closed in retaliation for the attack launched on February 28.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
While direct trade retaliation against the US has remained limited, there is no guarantee that pattern will hold, says economist Michael Pearce of Oxford Economics.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
The judge left intact Blake Lively’s claims of retaliation by Wayfarer Studios, aiding and abetting, and breach of contract.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
“Do you think that it was retaliation for the Khalil Harris case?” the reporter asks.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
