retribution

English

Etymology

Latin, from retribuere (“assign again”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌɹɛtrɪˈbjuʃɒn/, SAMPA: /%r\EtrI"bjuSQn/

Noun

retribution (plural retributions)

1. Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.
   • 1983, Richard A. Posner, The economics of justice, page 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, Barbara Hanawalt, Medieval crime and social control, pg. 73

   1. Revenge is for an injury; retribution 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 Wikisaurus:revenge

Translations

Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance

Chinese: Mandarin: trad. 報應, simpl. 报应 (bàoyìng) Dutch: vergelding (nl) Finnish: rangaistus (fi)

French: vendetta (fr) Romanian: răzbunare (ro) Swedish: vedergällning (sv) c.

Derived terms

• retributionist
• retributive