counteraggression

noun

coun·​ter·​ag·​gres·​sion ˌkau̇n-tər-ə-ˈgre-shən 

variants or counter-aggression

plural counteraggressions or counter-aggressions

: an act of aggression (such as an attack) that is undertaken in response to another's aggression

… the limited importance of deterrence could partially explain why revenge is more effective in triggering counteraggressions and feuds than in avoiding them.

—Francesa Giardini and Rosaria Conte

also : the practice of undertaking such acts

Violence, especially political violence, is usually a pattern of aggression and counteraggression that has a history and which stretches back deep into time.

—Simon Critchley

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above