retaliation meaning

retaliation means 'an action taken against someone in response to their action'.

retaliation :

revenge, reprisal

noun

▪ His retaliation caused further conflict.

▪ His revenge caused further conflict.

▪ She acted in retaliation for the insult.

▪ She acted in revenge for the insult.

paraphrasing

▪ revenge – retaliation

▪ reprisal – retaliation

▪ counterattack – retaliation

▪ payback – retaliation

retaliation

Pronunciation

retaliation [rɪˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən]

The stress is on the 'eigh' syllable and sounds like 'ri-tal-i-ay-shun'.

Common phrases and grammar about retaliation

retaliation - Common meaning

noun
revenge, reprisal

Part of Speech Changes for "retaliation"

▪ retaliate (verb) – to act in return for an injury

▪ retaliation (noun) – an act of revenge

▪ retaliatory (adjective) – in response to an action

▪ retaliator (noun) – one who retaliates

Common Expressions with "retaliation"

▪ in retaliation – to respond as revenge

▪ act of retaliation – an action taken in response

▪ retaliation measures – response actions

▪ retaliation for – response to an action

Important examples of retaliation in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC word questions, retaliation is used to describe an act of revenge or response to an action.

▪His retaliation caused further conflict.
▪His act of revenge caused further conflict.

Example of a confusing word: reconciliation (to restore friendly relations)

▪His reconciliation caused further conflict.
▪His act of making peace caused further conflict.
"Retaliation" is a noun meaning "an act of revenge" or "a counteraction," and it fits well in contexts where someone responds to an offense or injury. In the sentence "His retaliation caused further conflict," it correctly implies that his response was aggressive or vengeful. "Reconciliation," however, means "to restore friendly relations" and is used in contexts of making peace, not causing conflict. The sentence "His reconciliation caused further conflict" is contradictory and incorrect. Therefore, "retaliation" is the appropriate choice.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC grammar questions, retaliation is used as a noun and may require correct article or pluralization.

▪Retaliation is not the best solution.
▪Taking revenge is not a good way to solve the problem.

retaliation

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

act of retaliation

means 'an action taken in response to something'.

▪The act of retaliation only worsened the situation.
▪The act of retaliation only worsened the situation.

mutual retaliation

means 'both sides responding to each other'.

▪The conflict escalated due to mutual retaliation.
▪Both sides acting out of revenge caused the situation to worsen.

Differences between similar words and retaliation

retaliation

,

revenge

differences

Retaliation is a response to an action, whereas revenge is driven by personal anger.

retaliation
▪His retaliation was measured and professional.
▪His act of response was careful and business-like.
revenge
▪She sought revenge after the betrayal.
▪She acted out of personal anger after being betrayed.

retaliation

,

reprisal

differences

Retaliation is a general term for a response, while reprisal is specific to military or formal contexts.

retaliation
▪The company's retaliation was unfair.
▪The military responded with a retaliatory attack against the attackers.
reprisal
▪The military launched a reprisal against the attackers.
▪The military responded with a retaliatory attack against the attackers.

Words with the same origin as retaliation

The origin of retaliation

retaliation comes from the Latin 'retaliare', meaning 'to pay back in equal measure'.

Word structure

It has the prefix 're-' (again), root 'tali' (a pledge or equal amount), and suffix '-ation' (noun form), so retaliation means 'to pay back equally'.

Words with the same origin

The word's root is unclear or difficult to confirm.

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