retribution
noun
Did you know?
With its prefix re-, meaning "back", retribution means literally "payback". And indeed we usually use it when talking about personal revenge, whether it's retribution for an insult in a high-school corridor or retribution for a guerrilla attack on a government building. But retribution isn't always so personal: God takes "divine retribution" on humans several times in the Old Testament, especially in the great Flood that wipes out almost the entire human race. And retribution for criminal acts, usually in the form of a prison sentence, is taken by the state, not the victims.
Synonyms
Examples of retribution in a Sentence
David Ansen, Newsweek, 16 June 1986
The two purposes that sustain the death penalty … in the Court's view are general deterrence and retribution.
—Thurgood Marshall, Gregg v. Georgia, 1976
" … As for Cordelia, she went insane with remorse and was shut up in a lunatic asylum. I thought that was a poetical retribution for her crime."
—Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1908
The killer acted without fear of retribution.
the neighborhood is being torn apart by an endless cycle of gang violence and retribution
William Gavin, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Endorsements have fallen off significantly in the past two election cycles as papers grapple with growing polarization and fears of political retribution.
—Noah Bressner, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
The Trump campaign and his former administration have a history of revoking credentials for reporters, often in retribution over their coverage.
—Kristen Holmes, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Elon Musk’s lawyer defends daily $1-million payments to voters
The L.A. Times special: Trump’s culture of retribution has swept through American life
Stay Golden,
Anita Chabria
P.S.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Retribution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retribution. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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retribution
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retribution
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