noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -uːʃən
CMU ARPABET:R EH2 T R AH0 B Y UW1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
the act of correcting for your wrongdoing
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: correction, rectification
3
noun
Meaning 3
the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life--Romans 12:19--James Garfield
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord
For vengeance I would do nothing. This nation is too great to look for mere revenge
he swore vengeance on the man who betrayed him
the swiftness of divine retribution
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: vengeance, payback
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: retaliation, revenge
4
noun
Meaning 4
a justly deserved penalty
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: requital
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: penalty
History
Etymology
PIE word *tréyes From Latin retribuere (“repay”).
Across languages
Translations
86 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
عِقَاب
(ʕiqāb)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Arabic:
اِنْتِقَام
(intiqām)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Armenian:
հատուցում
(hatucʻum)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Armenian:
վրեժ
(vrež)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Belarusian:
адпла́та
(adpláta)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Belarusian:
ка́ра
(kára)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Belarusian:
по́мста
(pómsta)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Belarusian:
распла́та
(raspláta)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Bulgarian:
отпла́та
(otpláta)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Bulgarian:
възме́здие
(vǎzmézdie)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Bulgarian:
мъст
(mǎst)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Chinese Mandarin:
報應 /报应
(bàoyìng)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Chinese Mandarin:
惡報 /恶报
(èbào)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Czech:
odplata
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Czech:
pomsta
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Czech:
trest
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Czech:
odveta
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Danish:
gengældelse
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Danish:
straf
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Dutch:
vergelding
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Estonian:
tasu
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Estonian:
kättemaks
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Finnish:
rangaistus
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Finnish:
kosto
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
French:
vendetta
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
French:
châtiment
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
French:
punition
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Galician:
castigo
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Georgian:
სამაგიერო
(samagiero)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Georgian:
სანაცვლო
(sanacvlo)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
German:
Vergeltung
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
German:
Heimzahlung
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Gothic:
𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍄
(fraweit)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Greek:
ανταπόδοση
(antapódosi)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Ancient Greek:
τιμωρία
(timōría)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Ancient Greek:
τίσις
(tísis)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Hungarian:
megtorlás
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Hungarian:
büntetés
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Irish:
agairt
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Irish:
díoltas
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Italian:
retribuzione
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Italian:
vendetta
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Japanese:
報復
(hōfuku)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Japanese:
復讐
(fukushū)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Korean:
보복
(bobok)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Korean:
복수
(boksu)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Latvian:
atmaksa
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Lithuanian:
atpildas
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Macedonian:
одмазда
(odmazda)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Macedonian:
возврат
(vozvrat)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Malay:
balasan
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Māori:
ngakinga
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Norwegian Bokmål:
gjengjeldelse
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Persian:
پادافراه
(pâdefrâh)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Persian:
انتقام
(enteqâm)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Polish:
zemsta
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Polish:
odwet
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Polish:
kara
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Polish:
pomsta
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Portuguese:
retribuição
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Romanian:
răzbunare
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Russian:
возме́здие
(vozmézdije)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Russian:
воздая́ние
(vozdajánije)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Russian:
ка́ра
(kára)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Russian:
месть
(mestʹ)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Russian:
отпла́та
(otpláta)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Russian:
распла́та
(raspláta)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Serbo-Croatian:
о̀дмазда
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Serbo-Croatian:
òdmazda
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Sicilian:
vinnitta
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Slovak:
odplata
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Slovak:
pomsta
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Slovak:
trest
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Slovak:
odveta
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Slovene:
kazen
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Spanish:
castigo
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Spanish:
retribución
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Swedish:
vedergällning
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Tagalog:
gantindusa
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Tajik:
интиқом
(intiqom)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Turkish:
intikam
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Ukrainian:
відпла́та
(vidpláta)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Ukrainian:
ка́ра
(kára)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Ukrainian:
пока́ра
(pokára)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Ukrainian:
по́мста
(pómsta)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
Ukrainian:
розпла́та
(rozpláta)
— punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance
