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🇩🇪German Source WordCode: DE

vergeltend

Pronunciation / Transliteration: fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛltn̩t

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Retaliate/rɪˈtæl.i.eɪt/
verbCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #4500 frequency
Full Thesaurus
🇩🇪 Example Sentence in German:

"Sie drohten mit Vergeltungsschlägen."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As verb
  1. 1

    To make an attack or assault in return for a similar attack.

    "The company threatened to retaliate if the rival firm launched another hostile takeover bid."
  2. 2

    To respond to an unfriendly action with a similar action.

    "Local residents retaliated against the new parking restrictions by refusing to pay municipal taxes."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Latin root 'retaliatus', the past participle of 'retaliare', formed from the prefix 're-' (back, in return) and 'talis' (such, like). Entering the English language in the early 17th century, it originally meant to return like for like, but over time evolved specifically to connote responding to an attack or injury with a similar harmful act.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Retaliate"?

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Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Retaliate"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Retaliate" Synonym Map
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