Retaliate vs Contend - What's the difference?
retaliate | contend |
To do something harmful or negative to get revenge for some harm; to fight back or respond in kind to an injury or affront.
To repay or requite by an act of the same kind.
* Sir T. Herbert
* Jonathan Swift
to strive in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.
* Bible, Deuteronomy ii. 9
* Shakespeare
to struggle or exert one's self to obtain or retain possession of, or to defend.
* Dryden
to strive in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue.
* John Locke
* Dr H. More
As verbs the difference between retaliate and contend
is that retaliate is to do something harmful or negative to get revenge for some harm; to fight back or respond in kind to an injury or affront while contend is to strive in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.retaliate
English
Verb
(retaliat)- John insulted Peter to retaliate for Peter's acid remark earlier.
- One ambassador sent word to the duke's son that his visit should be retaliated .
- It is unlucky to be obliged to retaliate the injuries of authors, whose works are so soon forgotten that we are in danger of appearing the first aggressors.
Synonyms
* See alsoDerived terms
* retaliation * retaliative * retaliatoryExternal links
* *References
Anagrams
*contend
English
(Webster 1913)Verb
(en verb)- The Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle.
- For never two such kingdoms did contend without much fall of blood.
- You sit above, and see vain men below / Contend for what you only can bestow.
- The question which our author would contend for.
- Many things he fiercely contended about were trivial.