Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
retributionary. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
retributionary, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
retributionary in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
retributionary you have here. The definition of the word
retributionary will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
retributionary, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From retribution + -ary.
Adjective
retributionary (comparative more retributionary, superlative most retributionary)
- Being or relating to retribution; retributive; retaliatory.
1877, Joseph Sylvester Clark, Henry Martyn Dexter, Alonzo Hall Quint, Isaac Pendleton Langworthy, Christopher Cushing, Samuel Burnham, The Congregational Quarterly, page 567:Punishment, moreover, loses all its retributionary character [...]
1984, Charles F. Abel, Knute Martin, Frank H. Marsh, Punishment and Restitution: A Restitutionary Approach to Crime and the Criminal, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 4:It might be thought, for example, that a rehabilitation approach simply costs more in both time and money than a retributionary approach. But while retributionary approaches may be a boon to the average taxpayer, they are a bane to ...
2004, Ian Marsh, John Cochrane, Gaynor Melville, Criminal Justice: An Introduction to Philosophies, Theories and Practice, Routledge, →ISBN, page 17:Of course, the 'just deserts' retributionary approach does not mean the punishment should be exactly like the crime; it means that there should be equivalencies of seriousness of punishment.