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retribution

retribution

87 7.5
Punishment people give because someone did something wrong and others think it is fair
  • noun
  • /ˌrɛtrɪˈbjuːʃən/
translation icon : castigo
  • After the scandal, many feared retribution from those they had wronged.
  • fear of retribution
  • seek retribution
  • divine retribution

And it's one of complete fairness, equal retribution, and short memory.

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Examples

  • Our generals must be independent advisers, always free to speak without fear of retribution or dismissal.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Like so many of us now, with death and retribution waiting for us.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • And if this is Your retribution, it is just.

  • There is a way in which retribution and revenge are similar.

  • Another man who is not put off by the fear of divine retribution.

  • But those fools who do not will suffer retribution.

  • But the most common answers are retribution and deterrence.

  • But are feelings of rage against a murderer and the wish for retribution never justified?

    Academic text (1996)
  • The search for true justice does not mean retribution, but the restoration of a natural balance.

    Academic text (1991)
  • There must be retribution.

Synonyms

punishment
vsretribution
720 1.3

An action that makes someone suffer for breaking a rule, like a fine or time in prison

adds the sense of moral payback and being seen as deserved
sentence
vsretribution
  • Specialized
659 7.0

Punishment a court gives to someone found guilty, often prison time

is broader, covering moral payback and deserved punishment beyond legal sentencing
penalty
vsretribution
487 2.5

A punishment you get for breaking a rule, law or doing something wrong

adds the idea of moral payback and being deserved rather than only legal sanction
vengeance
vsretribution
252 6.8

Punishing someone in return for a wrong done to you

focuses more on rightful, morally justified punishment than personal anger
payback
vsretribution
  • Offensive
118 5.5

Harming someone to punish them for something they did

is similar but stresses moral justification rather than private revenge
retaliation
vsretribution
112 5.2

Harming someone because they hurt you

is framed as a morally justified penalty rather than a personal retaliatory act
reprisal
vsretribution
  • Formal
37 8.3

An action that hurts someone in return for an attack

is individual moral punishment rather than collective or military response
comeuppance
vsretribution
11 9.1

A punishment someone deserves for bad actions

is about formal moral punishment seen as justified rather than an informal outcome
requital
vsretribution
  • Literature
9.9

A punishment someone gets because of a wrong they did

stresses moral rightness of the punitive response rather than just consequence

Antonyms

333 2.2

An act of letting go of anger toward someone after they hurt you

absolution
  • Formal
24 7.9

A formal act in church when a priest forgives someone's sins

How Severe

vengeance
252 6.8
retribution
87 7.5
punishment
720 1.3
penalty
123 1.8

Surface Forms

retribution singular
retributions plural

Morphology

retribution = retribute (opaque) = re + tribut + ion

For someone who knows the verb 'retribute', adding '-ion' gives the regular noun meaning 'the act or result of retributing'.

Etymology

Retribution comes from the Latin parts re- and tribuere, which mean 'back' and 'to give', and you can see the same root in contribute and tribute. So retribution is like 'giving back' — a punishment given in return for a wrong.