To retaliate is to hurt someone or do something bad to them because they did something bad to you first. It is a form of revenge or payback.
From Latin *retaliare* 'to repay in kind', from *re-* 'back' + *talis* 'such, the same'. The word carries the idea of giving back the same kind of treatment you received.
Retaliation feels like balance—'you hurt me, I hurt you'—but it usually creates a cycle that’s hard to stop. That’s why conflicts, from playground fights to wars, can spiral so quickly once retaliation starts.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.