as in retaliatory
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Recent Examples of retributive
This is especially true when the President seems willing to engage in extralegal tactics, such as selective audits, retributive regulation, and harassment campaigns carried out in the parts of the media that are already loyal to him.
—
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Read a list of Trump’s other retributive actions here.
—Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration’s retributive style complicates those questions.
—Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025
There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI should I be confirmed as FBI director.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retributive
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Read a list of Trump’s other retributive actions here.
—Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration’s retributive style complicates those questions.
—Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025
There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI should I be confirmed as FBI director.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retributive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retributive
Adjective
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Fans hoping for a revengeful scoring outburst were left wanting a little more, however, as Dončić — a career 28.6 points per game scorer — added only 10 points over the final three quarters.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC News,
26 Feb. 2025
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Eventually, this revengeful streak will result in loneliness and isolation.—
Nicole Froio,
refinery29.com,
29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The new accord removes the overhang of more punitive tariffs, providing a relief rally to stocks in the sector.—
Ganesh Rao,
CNBC,
28 July 2025
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Seven universities have been explicitly notified that their funding is in serious jeopardy or have already faced punitive cuts, according to The New York Times, which reported that Harvard University faces approximately $9 billion at stake and has received a list of federal demands.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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Iran’s Islamic Republic government likely will block it because, aside from Panahi’s outspoken stance against its stranglehold on democracy that has landed him in prison twice, the film is highly critical of Iran’s penal system on the back of the director’s own firsthand experiences.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
25 June 2025
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In the report on El Salvador, whose penal system has become a dumping ground for migrants deported from the United States, there will be no details on the conditions in those prisons.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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If either are found to break another institutional rule, they will be suspended, as per their disciplinary results.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Fitzhugh, a veteran of the 82nd Airborne’s 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, had been investigated for dealing drugs on Fort Bragg in the 1990s and served time in the disciplinary barracks at Fort Leavenworth before being separated in 2000.—
Seth Harp,
Rolling Stone,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retributive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retributive. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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