Retaliates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To act in response to an offense by inflicting harm or punishment upon the original aggressor, thus establishing a cycle of conflict and vengeance
2. To respond to an assault or wrong by striking back in kind
3. Acts by returning an aggressive action aimed at oneself

Etymology: "Retaliates" is the third-person singular form of "retaliate", so the root is the verb itself. That verb comes from the past participle of Latin "retāliō", meaning "to requite" or "to retaliate". The Latin verb is built from "re-", meaning "back" or "again", and "tālio", the law of like-for-like punishment, which is what makes the English sense so precise: to retaliate is to return exactly what was received, an eye for an eye. The idea of reciprocity sits at the heart of the word. Latin "tālio" was the principle of matching a penalty to the injury inflicted, so the English verb carries a legal flavour of measured, equal return rather than simple anger. Hitting back is not just any reaction; it is answering in kind.

Synonyms: venge, avenge, retribute, counter, strike back

Antonyms: forgive, pardon, excuse, overlook, condone