retaliate

/rɪˈtæliˌeɪt/

Say it: ri-TAL-ee-ayt

verb To harm or attack someone in return for a similar harm or attack they have inflicted.
If the rebels attack the capital, the government will retaliate with overwhelming force.

📖 Seen in the wild

After the initial insult, the diplomat chose not to retaliate, hoping to de-escalate the conflict.
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✏️ retaliate in a sentence

The country warned it would retaliate against any trade tariffs imposed by its neighbors.
She decided not to retaliate after her colleague took credit for her idea, choosing to address it with her manager instead.
The law protects employees who report misconduct from employers who might retaliate by firing them.
He was tempted to retaliate by posting an embarrassing photo, but he knew it would only make things worse.
The player was ejected from the game after he retaliated with a shove.
After the cyberattack, security experts waited to see how the corporation would retaliate.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

avenge reciprocate get back at strike back counterattack pay back hit back

avenge · implies seeking justice or righting a moral wrong, rather than just returning a blow.

reciprocate · is more neutral and can be used for positive actions as well as negative ones.

get back at · is more informal and personal, often suggesting a petty or spiteful motive.

strike back · emphasizes a more physical or aggressive response.

Opposites: forgive, pardon, overlook, absolve, turn the other cheek

🌱 Where it comes from

The word comes from the Latin 'retaliare', meaning 'to pay back in kind'. It is formed from 're-', meaning 'back', and 'talis', meaning 'of such a kind'. The original idea was not just about revenge, but about an equal and corresponding repayment for an action, whether good or bad, though today it is used exclusively for negative actions.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

retaliate against an enemyretaliate by launching an attackthreaten to retaliateswiftly retaliateretaliate in kind

Retaliate implies a response to a perceived negative action, often with a similar negative action. It's a strong word, frequently used in contexts of conflict, from personal disputes to international relations. While its core meaning is neutral (to return like for like), it carries a negative connotation because the actions involved are typically harmful. It is more formal than 'get back at' but less formal than 'reciprocate', which can also be positive.

Word family: retaliation, retaliatory

💬 Quick answers

What does it mean to retaliate?

To retaliate means to fight back or harm someone in response to an injury or attack they have committed against you. It is a 'tit for tat' action.

What is the difference between retaliate and avenge?

To retaliate is to return a hostile action with another one, often immediately and in kind. To avenge is to seek justice or punishment for a wrong, which can be a more deliberate and morally driven act.

Is retaliate a negative word?

The word itself is neutral, but because it describes a response to a harmful act, it almost always appears in negative contexts involving conflict or revenge.

What is an example of retaliation?

If one country imposes trade sanctions on another, and the second country responds by imposing its own sanctions, that is an act of retaliation.

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