RETALIATION Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

retaliation

noun

Definition of retaliation

as in revenge

the act or an instance of responding to an injury with an injury police believe that the murder was in retaliation for an earlier gangland execution

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of retaliation Six months after the board heard their concerns, the three employees sued the organization for retaliation and wrongful termination. — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 Prosecutors, meanwhile, said Davis orchestrated the shooting as retaliation for an attack on his nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand casino hours earlier. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026 Alleged retaliation against the news outlets has been a throughline in the legal filings by lawyers for CNN, MS NOW and Politico. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026 In retaliation for those votes, progressive Democrats in Vancouver put up a primary challenger on Gluesenkamp Perez's left. — Saige Miller, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026 In 1867, the British government united its North American colonies to form the Canadian Confederation, in part to deter Washington from invading Canada in retaliation for London’s assistance to the Confederacy during the Civil War. — Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026 Six years after a Kansas City Star investigation exposed problems including discrimination, sexism, retaliation and unequal opportunity within the Fire Department, the Urban Summit on Friday put KCFD in the hot seat. — Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026 The strikes were in retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centers, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026 Lalo, who asked that only his nickname be used for fear of retaliation, had come from California to work on his boss’ project. — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliation

Noun

The Brewers were baseball’s best team in the regular season and were looking for revenge after the Dodgers swept them in dominant fashion on their way to the 2025 title.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
This week saw comings and goings at the White House, the revenge of a child (reality) star, and Elon Musk doing Elon Musk things.

— Holly J. Morris, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of revenge

Noun

Three of the individuals spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution.

— Ryan Lucas, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026
Over time, Buddhism introduced ideas of reincarnation and karmic retribution, linking a person's fate after death to their actions in life.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of retribution

Browse Nearby Words

retaliating

retaliation

retaliations

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Retaliation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliation. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of retaliation

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes