Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

retaliate

/ɹɪˈtæl.i.eɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.10 in modern English

Syllables: re-tal-i-ate
IPA: /ɹɪˈtæl.i.eɪt/

9

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To do something harmful or negative to get revenge for some harm; to fight back or respond in kind to an injury or affront.

Intransitive verb

verb

To repay or requite by an act of the same kind.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"John insulted Peter to retaliate for Peter's acid remark earlier."
"Many companies have policies in place to prevent bosses from retaliating against allegations of harassment."
"One ambassador sent word to the duke's son that his visit should be retaliated."
"1713-174, Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope, Memoirs of Martinus Scriblerus Preface It is unlucky to be obliged to retaliate the injuries of authors, whose works are so soon forgotten that we are in danger of appearing the first aggressors."

Etymology

From Latin retāliātus, past participle of retāliō (“to requite, retaliate”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: retāliātus

Usage

Inflected Forms

retaliates (present, singular) retaliating (participle, present) retaliated (participle, past) retaliated (past)

Derived Forms

retaliatingly retaliation retaliative retaliator retaliatory unretaliated unretaliating

Synonyms

strike back revenge avenge

Questions

How do you pronounce retaliate?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɹɪˈtæl.i.eɪt/.
What does retaliate mean?: To do something harmful or negative to get revenge for some harm; to fight back or respond in kind to an injury or affront.
Where does retaliate come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce retaliate

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “retaliate”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɹɪˈtæl.i.eɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “retaliate”.
Repeat and practice — Say “retaliate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.