retributionary
"retributionary" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“retributionary” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Being or relating to retribution; retributive; retaliatory.
Corpus desk
Index EN-retributionary · retributionary · English
retributionary · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 14 letters
- VOW-7 7 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "R" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | retributionary |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “retributionary” in English
Rare enough to double-check
retributionary is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Being or relating to retribution; retributive; retaliatory.".
No misspelling variants are generated for retributionary in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From retribution + -ary. The correct English form is retributionary, spelled R-E-T-R-I-B-U-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y.
Definition
- 1Being or relating to retribution; retributive; retaliatory.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how retributionary appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Punishment, moreover, loses all its retributionary character [...]
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 ...
Etymology
From retribution + -ary.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.