Definition

Noun: 1. An act of retaliation, especially in a military or political conflict: An action taken to inflict harm or damage in return for a similar harmful action received, often as part of a cycle of violence. It implies a measured, often official, response to a prior hostile act. 2. The practice of using force or other coercive measures short of war in response to an injury or wrong: Historically, a legal or quasi-legal measure of self-help by a state.

Usage

• The term is most commonly used in contexts of war, conflict, politics, or severe disputes. It describes a retaliatory action that is a direct consequence of a prior aggressive act.
• It often carries a formal or severe tone, suggesting organized retaliation rather than a spontaneous, personal act of revenge.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The bombing was a reprisal for the attack on the naval base.
  • Fearing reprisal, the witnesses were reluctant to testify.
  • The treaty forbids reprisals against civilian populations.
  • The regime carried out brutal reprisals against the rebel-held villages.

Advanced Usage

• "In reprisal for": This prepositional phrase is commonly used to state the cause of the retaliatory action.
  • The troops destroyed the bridge in reprisal for the ambush.
• "Fear of reprisal": A common collocation indicating the anxiety about becoming a target of retaliation.
  • Many crimes go unreported due to fear of reprisal.

Variants and Related Words

• Reprisal is primarily used as a noun. There is no direct verb form "to reprisal." The related verb is to retaliate.
• Retaliatory (adjective): Having the nature of or characterized by reprisal.
  • They launched a retaliatory strike.

Synonyms

• Retaliation: The most direct synonym, meaning the action of returning an attack or wrong.
• Retribution: Often implies deserved punishment for a wrong, sometimes with a moral or judicial connotation.
• Revenge: More personal and emotional, focusing on inflicting harm for satisfaction.
• Vengeance: Similar to revenge, often with a more intense or passionate connotation.

Antonyms

• Forgiveness
• Pardon
• Reconciliation

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Cycle of reprisal/violence: A situation where one act of retaliation leads to another, creating an ongoing conflict.
  • The two factions were locked in a relentless cycle of reprisal.
• Reprisal attack/raid/measure: Common collocations specifying the type of retaliatory action.

Noun

1. a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime