retaliatory

[ ri-tal-ee-uh-tawr-ee ]

adjective

1. done in order to take revenge; returning evil for evil:

   Hate crimes are especially likely to inflict emotional harm and provoke retaliatory violence.

Other Words From

• un·re·tal·i·a·to·ry un·re·tal·i·a·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of retaliatory¹

retaliat(e) ( def ) + -ory ¹( def )

Example Sentences

Israel carried out its retaliatory strike on Iran on 26 October, having spent weeks deciding how to respond to the missiles fired by Tehran on 1 October.

From BBC

A US government official has been charged for allegedly leaking classified documents appearing to show Israeli plans for a retaliatory attack on Iran.

From BBC

Amid Trump’s first-term trade war with China, Beijing aimed retaliatory tariffs at California farmers; economists calculated that California growers of almonds, the state’s most valuable export crop, lost about $875 million.

From Los Angeles Times

Such trade barriers and any potential retaliatory tariffs could be unhelpful to sports leagues such as the NBA, which is trying to grow its business globally and is keen on staging games in China again, among other countries.

From BBC

U.S. liquified natural gas producers worry that retaliatory tariffs could hamper their business.

From Salon

Related Words

• cruel
• malicious
• merciless
• resentful
• ruthless
• spiteful
• unforgiving
• vengeful