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Retaliation vs Retribution - What's the difference?

retaliation | retribution |

As nouns the difference between retaliation and retribution

is that retaliation is violent response to an act of harm or perceived injustice while retribution is punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.

retaliation

English

Noun

(en-noun)
  • Violent response to an act of harm or perceived injustice.
  • An act of violent response.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2009, date=January 13, author=, title=`Never again,' says survivor, work=Toronto Star citation
  • , passage=Hamas knew there would be massive retaliations .}}

    Synonyms

    * See also

    retribution

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.
  • *1983 , Richard A. Posner, The economics of justice m p.208:
  • *:Whereas retribution focuses on the offender's wrong, retaliation focuses on the impulse of the victim (or of those who sympathize with him) to strike back at the offender.
  • * 1999 , , Medieval crime and social control , p.73:
  • *:1. Revenge is for an injury; retribution is for a wrong.
  • *:2. Retribution sets an internal limit to the amount of the punishment according to the seriousness of the wrong; revenge need not.
  • *:3. Revenge is personal; the agent of retribution need have no special or personal tie to the victim of the wrong for which he exacts retribution.
  • *:4. Revenge involves a particular emotional tone, pleasure in the suffering of another, while retribution need involve no emotional tone.
  • Synonyms

    * See also

    Hypernyms

    * punishment

    Derived terms

    * retributionist * retributive