RETALIATED Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

retaliated

verb

past tense of retaliate

as in avenged

to punish in kind the wrongdoer responsible for retaliated his neighbor's malicious destruction of his flower garden by cutting down the man's prize apple tree

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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 retaliated Ukraine retaliated with waves of drone attacks against Russian oil refineries, triggering a massive fuel crisis and bringing the war home to millions of civilians. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 Clement argued the president violated the First Amendment rights of the law firm and had unlawfully retaliated against them. — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026 Canada retaliated with its own set of near-analogous duties on more than $20 billion in American goods in early September. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026 The rebel group retaliated by declaring the truce dead and announced a naval blockade on Saudi ships. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026 Two officers who conducted the internal investigation into Martin’s use of force sued the city for violating the Whistleblower Act, alleging they were retaliated against for recommending to Fitzgerald that Martin be fired. — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026 Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu/Getty Israel retaliated by giving Britain 30 days to close its east Jerusalem consulate. — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Clarke hit MacKinnon along the boards, and the latter retaliated with a stick to the defenseman’s shin. — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026 In a 2020 lawsuit, Dougan alleged he was retaliated against after an investigation was conducted into a complaint of gender discrimination that originated in the Fire Department’s Communications Center. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliated

avenged

Verb

Commerce has avenged four 2025 losses (East Jackson, Elbert County, Oglethorpe County, Rabun County), the most of any GHSA school this season.

— Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Both teams are in a similar boat as SEC contenders that have avenged an early season conference loss.

— PJ Green October 12, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of avenged

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retaliate

retaliated

retaliates

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“Retaliated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliated. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of retaliated

verb

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