1
as in reparation
usually reprisals plural
payment to another for a loss or injury
a peace agreement that was rejected because it contained no provisions for reprisals
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in retaliation
the act or an instance of responding to an injury with an injury
after defeating them last year in the finals, our team nervously awaited the expected reprisal by our archrivals in this year's tournament
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reprisal
The app has also been used to share and preserve evidence of human rights violations under oppressive regimes and to allow whistleblowers or tipsters to communicate with journalists without fear of reprisal.
—
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
The emails, sent to personal accounts because most staff members had lost access to the organization's system, began going out about 9 p.m. Friday, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Mar. 2025
Looking further ahead, if the norm against conquest continues to erode and countries no longer fear major reprisals for territorial aggression, threats that seem distant or far-fetched now could become real possibilities.
—Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2025
Fearing reprisal after Tutsi rebels overthrew the genocidal government, ethnic Hutu extremists implicated in the slaughter fled to Congo, along with millions of Hutu civilians.
—Emmet Livingstone, The Dial, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reprisal
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
The emails, sent to personal accounts because most staff members had lost access to the organization's system, began going out about 9 p.m. Friday, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Mar. 2025
Looking further ahead, if the norm against conquest continues to erode and countries no longer fear major reprisals for territorial aggression, threats that seem distant or far-fetched now could become real possibilities.
—Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2025
Fearing reprisal after Tutsi rebels overthrew the genocidal government, ethnic Hutu extremists implicated in the slaughter fled to Congo, along with millions of Hutu civilians.
—Emmet Livingstone, The Dial, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reprisal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reprisal
Noun
-
California’s reparations proposal remains the most ambitious, having recommended that eligible recipients receive up to $1.2 million each.—
Cheyanne M. Daniels,
The Hill,
3 Apr. 2025
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In California, costly proposals from their reparations panel failed to be signed into law during the 2024 session, four years after the commission was created with significant fanfare.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The action was widely interpreted as an act of revenge after previous confrontations between the two cast members, prompting Bravo to suspend Moore and end her filming for the rest of the season.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
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The culmination of that legacy might well be the centrality of revenge to Donald Trump’s agenda.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Those staff members have been furloughed until later in the year, the state of their future contracts unclear, according to a NOAA staffer speaking on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution.—
Alejandra Borunda,
NPR,
9 Apr. 2025
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The employees asked not to be named for fear of retribution.—
Mark Olalde,
ProPublica,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reprisal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reprisal. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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