Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of recriminating.
  • noun A countercharge.
  • noun Law A defense in an action for divorce in which the party against whom the divorce is sought accuses the party seeking the divorce of equivalent misconduct, potentially depriving the party seeking the divorce of the right to maintain the action.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of recriminating; the meeting of an accusation by a counter-accusation: as, to indulge in mutual recriminations.
  • noun In law, an accusation, brought by an accused person against the accuser, of being in a similar guilt as charged, or derelict in a corresponding duty; a counter-accusation.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of recriminating; an accusation brought by the accused against the accuser; a counter accusation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act of recriminating.
  • noun A counter or mutual accusation.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun mutual accusations

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Either course of action will bring short-term howls of recrimination from the right ... but this mini-surge deeper into the quagmire is going to sink the administration without question. declining 35 percent approval rating for management of the war in Afghanistan

    Five questions for Obama on Afghan war 2009

  • A recrimination is a counter-charge, and is typically legalese and is only used in court, by a defendant against a plaintiff.

    David Lee Roth: Amtrak FM « BuzzMachine 2006

  • "recrimination" - said the Folkstone-based agency had assured her the couple moving into her two-bedroom property were pleasant and well behaved.

    Telegraph.co.uk: news business sport the Daily Telegraph newspaper Sunday Telegraph 2009

  • Disingenuous appeals of "trust me" on the pages of the Washington Post aren't going to stop what Panetta calls "recrimination" that will supposedly cause the brave men and women of the CIA to "pay a price."

    Frank Naif: CIA Director Panetta: Reform Suffers for Bush Apparatchiks and Spy Chiefs 2009

  • WOODRUFF: I think there's going to be every which kind of recrimination you can imagine. there's going to be somebody from every corner saying, "Well, if you'd only done this," or, "If you'd only done that" -- that's to be expected after a loss as heartbreaking as this one.

    CNN Transcript Nov 3, 2004 2004

  • Then, however, without any kind of recrimination, any display of anger, or even any particular effort to regain her ascendency over him, she, on her side, imitated his example.

    The Three Cities Trilogy: Paris, Complete ��mile Zola 1871

  • Then, however, without any kind of recrimination, any display of anger, or even any particular effort to regain her ascendency over him, she, on her side, imitated his example.

    The Three Cities Trilogy: Paris, Volume 1 ��mile Zola 1871

  • Then, however, without any kind of recrimination, any display of anger, or even any particular effort to regain her ascendency over him, she, on her side, imitated his example.

    The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete Lourdes, Rome and Paris ��mile Zola 1871

  • He had not intended this kind of recrimination, but he was exasperated with her wearied acceptance of his reproaches and by a sudden conviction that his long-cherished grievance against her now that he had voiced it was inadequate, mean, and trifling.

    A Protegee of Jack Hamlin's and Other Stories Bret Harte 1869

  • As for Abbot, this kind of recrimination was a daily thing with him.

    Sheppard Lee 1836

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