1
as in reparation
usually reprisals plural
payment to another for a loss or injury
a peace agreement that was rejected because it contained no provisions for reprisals
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2
as in retaliation
the act or an instance of responding to an injury with an injury
after defeating them last year in the finals, our team nervously awaited the expected reprisal by our archrivals in this year's tournament
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reprisal
Reports of reprisals, revenge killings and sectarian violence have been minimal.
—
Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
Eventually the family decided to leave the country, fearing government reprisals.
—Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica, 12 Dec. 2024
Over the past few months, conversations with team and league sources, many of whom were granted anonymity in order to speak openly without fear of reprisal, painted a picture of a fractured franchise stuck in a cycle of mediocrity since the night Andrew Luck walked out the door.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
Encourage employees to voice concerns and challenge assumptions without fear of reprisal.
—Bryce Hoffman, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reprisal 
Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
Eventually the family decided to leave the country, fearing government reprisals.
—Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica, 12 Dec. 2024
Over the past few months, conversations with team and league sources, many of whom were granted anonymity in order to speak openly without fear of reprisal, painted a picture of a fractured franchise stuck in a cycle of mediocrity since the night Andrew Luck walked out the door.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
Encourage employees to voice concerns and challenge assumptions without fear of reprisal.
—Bryce Hoffman, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reprisal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reprisal
Noun
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Therefore, no additional legal obligations exist that may create a call for reparations or action not directly negotiated.—
Jon McGowan,
Forbes,
10 Jan. 2025
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The Piano Lesson Mati Diop’s probing doc about African cultural heritage and Benin artifacts being recovered to their continental place outclasses the Denzel Washington clan’s trashy version of August Wilson’s reparation ghost story.—
Armond White,
National Review,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Facing Washington again in the 1979 Finals, the Sonics got their revenge, trouncing the Bullets in five games for the league crown.—
Alex Williams,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
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William Hawk The idea of a revenge narrative in albums isn't new, but the concept of a character who starts out seeking revenge and then changes her ways is pretty different.—
James Factora,
Them,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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At one point, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut pressed Ms. Noem on the possibility that the Trump administration might refuse to provide federal aid to certain places as a form of political retribution.—
Hamed Aleaziz,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
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Past Republican Presidents, most notably Reagan, pursued a deregulatory agenda that included slashing budgets and personnel, but Trump has, as ever, put his personal stamp on this conservative impulse, imbuing it with intimidation, threats of retribution, and grievance.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
The New Yorker,
16 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near reprisal
Cite this Entry
“Reprisal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reprisal. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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