Definitions

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

  • noun Punishment administered in return for a wrong committed.
  • noun Theology Punishment or reward distributed in a future life based on performance in this one.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of retributing or paying back for past good or evil; hence, that which is given in return; requital according to merits or deserts, in present use generally restricted to the requital of evil, or punishment; retaliation.
  • noun In theology, the distribution of rewards and punishments in a future life.
  • noun simply a continuance of the present (continuance theory);
  • noun a life of gradual development by means of discipline (purgatory), or future redemptive influences (future probation).
  • noun Synonyms Vengeance, Retaliation, etc. (see revenge), repayment, payment.

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

  • noun The act of retributing; repayment.
  • noun That which is given in repayment or compensation; return suitable to the merits or deserts of, as an action; commonly, condign punishment for evil or wrong.
  • noun Specifically, reward and punishment, as distributed at the general judgment.

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

  • noun Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.

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

  • noun the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life
  • noun a justly deserved penalty
  • noun the act of correcting for your wrongdoing

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English retribucion, repayment, reward, from Old French retribution, from Late Latin retribūtiō, retribūtiōn-, from Latin retribūtus, past participle of retribuere, to pay back : re-, re- + tribuere, to grant; see tribe.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin, from retribuere ("assign again").

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Examples

  • Boehner says NUH-UH: Jim Jordan and I may not always agree on strategy, but we are friends and allies, and the word retribution is not in my vocabulary.

    HUFFPOST HILL - Debt Vote Delayed Eliot Nelson 2011

  • Boehner says NUH-UH: Jim Jordan and I may not always agree on strategy, but we are friends and allies, and the word retribution is not in my vocabulary.

    HUFFPOST HILL - Debt Vote Delayed Eliot Nelson 2011

  • It also claimed responsibility for the bombings in Uganda during the World Cup last year, part of what it called retribution for the presence of African Union peacekeepers in Somalia.

    NYT > Home Page By MOHAMMED IBRAHIM 2011

  • She's stayed with him, and the big worry is possible retribution from the drug people.

    Drug money moving from the USA to Mexico 2009

  • Though the exact contents of the Facebook post and the previously mentioned letter are not clear, it is obvious that the Palins did not, at the time of the email, intend to put any more political muscle behind Miller's candidacy, and were specifically withholding support they had intended to give in retribution for Miller's failure to support Palin's presidential aspirations.

    Jeanne Devon ("AKMuckraker"): Internal Emails Suggest Palin to Run for President "AKMuckraker" 2010

  • But I feel this type of retribution is a far more appropriate punishment for your threatened crime.

    Archive 2010-01-01 2010

  • But I feel this type of retribution is a far more appropriate punishment for your threatened crime.

    Revenge: Three Tales 2010

  • She's stayed with him, and the big worry is possible retribution from the drug people.

    Drug money moving from the USA to Mexico 2009

  • She's stayed with him, and the big worry is possible retribution from the drug people.

    Drug money moving from the USA to Mexico 2009

  • She's stayed with him, and the big worry is possible retribution from the drug people.

    Drug money moving from the USA to Mexico 2009

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