the.com/retribution
Justice with a grudge — payback wearing a robe and pretending it's principle.
means Deserved punishment inflicted in return for a wrong, framed as moral balance rather than mere revenge.
from From Latin retribuere, to pay back, via tribuere, to assign or grant — literally returning what was owed, though rarely the part anyone wants to receive.
Legal theoryOne of the core justifications for criminal punishment.
Versus revengeClaims proportion and impartiality; revenge claims neither.
Divine flavorOften invoked for cosmic, not just courtroom, score-settling.