as in retaliations
the act or an instance of responding to an injury with an injury
the neighborhood is being torn apart by an endless cycle of gang violence and retribution
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Recent Examples of retributions
What starts as a petty territorial conflict mutates into a spiralling cycle of retributions, escalating from passive-aggressive jabs to acts of destruction and ruin.
—
Udita Jhunjhunwala, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Surveys are important, too, so workers feel safe to speak up without any retributions.
—Vicki Salemi, Boston Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retributions
Noun
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Neither country can afford to return to the prior tariff rates during the heat of tit-for-tat retaliations, which freaked out Big Tech earlier this year.—
Noun
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The entire Black community was threatened with reprisals.—
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While individual efforts are important, collective action increases impact and mitigates the risks of reprisals for standing up to individuals or organizations.—
Cite this Entry
“Retributions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retributions. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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