retaliatory

Rarely re·tal·i·a·tive

[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 Word Forms

• unretaliatory adjective
• unretaliative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of retaliatory¹

retaliat(e) ( def. ) + -ory ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

The court has allowed the president to terminate government contracts for spurious and often retaliatory reasons.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At the same time, China’s Ministry of Transport announced a retaliatory investigation into Washington’s Section 301 probe, whereby the U.S. has been scrutinizing China’s domination of the global shipping industry.

Read more on MarketWatch

Israel launched a retaliatory military offensive which saw more than 67,682 Palestinians killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Read more on BBC

Chinese products currently face US tariffs of 30 percent, while Beijing's retaliatory tolls are currently at 10 percent.

Read more on Barron's

China's retaliatory tariffs are currently at 10 percent.

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Related Words

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