noun

retribution

ret-rih-BYOO-shuhn/ˌretrɪˈbjuːʃn/

Punishment given in return for wrongdoing.

The vandal scrubs the wall as retribution for spraying it with paint.

A young man receives a cleanup punishment for vandalism: he scrubs the paint he sprayed onto a low wall while a community supervisor watches, holding his confiscated spray cans.

Etymology

reLatinback

+tributLatinto assign, allot

+ionLatinaction or result

Assigning something back produced the sense of repayment, originally for either good or evil. Modern retribution narrows that exchange to punishment returned for wrongdoing.

In context

CrashCourse7:21

But still, just retribution is one of the driving philosophical forces behind capital punishment; the idea that there’s simply no way to right the wrong of taking a life, other than by taking the life of the life-taker.

What Is Justice?: Crash Course Philosophy #40

More examples

Victims demand retribution for the years of abuse.
The justice system balances retribution with rehabilitation.
He sees the fine as fair retribution for his reckless driving.

Forms

retributive adjective — Intended to punish someone for wrongdoing.

Similar words

punishment: Broader term that does not emphasize repayment for wrongdoing.
revenge: Emphasizes personal payback rather than punishment viewed as deserved.