counterretaliation
noun
coun·ter·re·tal·i·a·tion
ˌkau̇n-tər-ri-ˌta-lē-ˈā-shən 
-ˌrē-
variants
or counter-retaliation
plural counterretaliations or counter-retaliations
: an act of retaliating against a previous retaliatory act
… provoke retaliatory strikes that are promptly followed by counterretaliation.—
Robert Lekachman
Robert LekachmanExamples of counterretaliation in a Sentence
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One study in Chicago, for example, found evidence that cycles of retaliation and counterretaliation meant that a single shooting was often the root cause of three, or sometimes 60, or once almost 500 subsequent shootings over the next few years.
—John Pfaff, The New Republic, 21 June 2021
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John Pfaff, The New Republic, 21 June 2021
Cite this Entry
“Counterretaliation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterretaliation. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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