Retribution vs Spite - What's the difference?
retribution | spite |
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.
Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart; a desire to vex or injure; petty malice; grudge; rancor.
* Shakespeare
(obsolete) Vexation; chagrin; mortification.
To treat maliciously; to try to injure or thwart.
(obsolete) To be angry at; to hate.
To fill with spite; to offend; to vex.
As nouns the difference between retribution and spite
is that retribution is remuneration, reward while spite is ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart; a desire to vex or injure; petty malice; grudge; rancor.As a verb spite is
to treat maliciously; to try to injure or thwart.As a preposition spite is
notwithstanding; despite.retribution
English
Noun
(en noun)Synonyms
* See alsoHypernyms
* punishmentDerived terms
* retributionist * retributivespite
English
Etymology 1
From a shortening of (etyl) despit, from (etyl) despit (whence despite). Compare also Dutch spijt.Noun
(en-noun)- He was so filled with spite for his ex-wife, he could not hold down a job.
- They did it just for spite .
- This is the deadly spite that angers.
- "The time is out of joint: O cursed spite." Shakespeare, Hamlet
Verb
(spit)- She soon married again, to spite her ex-husband.
- The Danes, then pagans, spited places of religion. — Fuller.
- Darius, spited at the Magi, endeavoured to abolish not only their learning, but their language. — Sir. W. Temple.
