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Retort vs Response - What's the difference?

retort | response |

Response is a synonym of retort.



As nouns the difference between retort and response

is that retort is a sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback while response is (an answer or reply)An answer or reply, or something in the nature of an answer or reply.

As a verb retort

is to say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation.

retort

English

(wikipedia retort)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) retortus, from .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback.
  • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1905, author=
  • , title= , chapter=1 citation , passage=“It is a pity,” he retorted with aggravating meekness, “that they do not use a little common sense. The case resembles that of Columbus' ?egg, and is every bit as simple. […]”}}
  • To make a remark which reverses an argument upon its originator; to return, as an argument, accusation, censure, or incivility.
  • to retort the charge of vanity
  • * Milton
  • And with retorted scorn his back he turned.
  • To bend or curve back.
  • a retorted line
  • * Southey
  • With retorted head, pruned themselves as they floated.
  • To throw back; to reverberate; to reflect.
  • * Shakespeare
  • As when his virtues, shining upon others, / Heat them and they retort that heat again / To the first giver.
    Synonyms
    * (sharp reply) comeback, rejoinder, back answer

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) retorte.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (chemistry) A flask with a rounded base and a long neck that is bent down and tapered, used to heat a liquid for distillation.
  • :* 1893', A large curved ' retort was boiling furiously in the bluish flame of a Bunsen burner, and the distilled drops were condensing into a two-litre measure. — Arthur Conan Doyle, ‘The Naval Treaty’ (Norton 2005, p.670)
  • A container in which material is subjected to high temperatures]] as part of an industrial manufacturing process, especially during the smelting and [[forge, forging of metal.
  • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To heat in a retort.
  • response

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (senseid)An answer or reply, or something in the nature of an answer or reply.
  • (senseid)The act of responding or replying; reply: as, to speak in response to a question.
  • An oracular answer.
  • (liturgics ) A verse, sentence, phrase, or word said or sung by the choir or congregation in sequence or reply to the priest or officiant.
  • (liturgics ) A versicle or anthem said or sung during or after a lection; a respond or responsory.
  • A reply to an objection in formal disputation.
  • An online advertising performance metric representing one click-through from an online ad to its destination URL.
  • A reaction to a stimulus or provocation.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Stephen P. Lownie], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/david-m-pelz David M. Pelz
  • , magazine=(American Scientist), title= Stents to Prevent Stroke , passage=As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response , which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time.}}

    Quotations

    * 1338 , , Middle English Chronicle *: What was his respons written, I ne sauh no herd. * 1842 , , The Two Voices *: Then did my response clearer fall:
    "No compound of this earthly ball
    Is like another, all in all." * 1874 , , Sensation and Intuition , p. 17. *: There seems a vast psychological interval between an emotional response to the action of some grateful stimulus and the highly complex intellectual and emotional development implied in a distinct appreciation of objective beauty.

    Derived terms

    * consultary response

    Synonyms

    * reaction

    References

    * ----