SAT vocabulary: retort

What does retort mean? You’re about to find out!

Quick Vocab Quiz for the word retort

First, before you read the explanation, definition, and discussion of the word retort, try this quick vocab quiz:

Part of Speech: VERB or NOUN

Pronunciations: IPA: /rɪ.ˈtɔrt/ Glossary-style: [rih-TOWRT]

Definition: verb: reply or reply with, especially in a quick, witty, or angry way. make a counterargument or return a comment, insult, or the like. noun: a reply, especially a quick, witty, or angry one that counters something already said.

Example: When people made fun of Henrietta for being short, she always imagined retorting with “I didn’t choose to be short, but you just chose to be rude”, but she politely kept that comment to herself.

Discussion: The word retort can be used as either a verb or a noun, but it seems more common to be used as a verb. Of course, all the usages are related.

All of the usages of the word have in common the sense of responding to something that someone said in a way that is quick, perhaps aggressive, defensive, or witty. In other words, the response is one that’s not entirely expected, and somehow puts the speaker on alert, so to speak.

So, if you make a retort, you may be defending yourself against something that someone said, or you may be insulting someone for a perceived slight. Witty retorts are a staple of comedy, and they often embody what we wish we had said in a certain situation, even if we could think of a witty reply only as we were experiencing esprit de l’escalier, or “staircase wit”.

Answer to the quick quiz above:[spoiler]The best answer is D. Any questions? Please feel free to post them in the comments. We love comments. :)[/spoiler]