retaliatory
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of retaliatory
Explanation
A retaliatory act is one that attempts to get even with someone or to punish them for some wrongdoing. When you shove your brother because he shoved you, that's retaliatory. Sometimes, wars are avoided because one country or group hesitates to attack another out of fear of a retaliatory strike. In fact, most wars consist of a long series of retaliatory actions — a bomb dropped to pay the enemy back for the bomb they dropped, and so on. Retaliatory comes from the verb retaliate, and the Latin root retaliare, "pay back in kind."
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.
Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said retaliatory measures from Canada on U.S. products are a major hurdle thwarting talks between the two countries on a renewed trade pact.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Tehran had warned that Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon would trigger another wave of retaliatory strikes.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
The federal district court found for Media Matters, saying this was clearly a retaliatory measure.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
Neugebauer’s legal team argues his firing was retaliatory because he and others raised governance concerns to the board.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
“Front Two: Operation Baldy: Wherein Lara flies solo in a retaliatory mission so elegant and cruel that it could only have been the brainchild of, well, me.”
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
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.
