retrenchment The reduction of costs or spending in response to economic difficulty retrospection The act of looking back and pondering the past revanche An act or policy of retaliation or revenge; usually associated with the desire of a country or a group to regain lost territory or standing after defeat. reverberate To echo repeatedly reverent Feeling, exhibiting, or characterized by a profound respect or veneration revulsion A sense of disgust and loathing rhapsodize To speak or write about someone or something with great enthusiasm and delight rhetorical Related to the art of rhetoric, or the effective use of language to persuade or influence rift A crack, split, or break in something riposte A quick, clever reply to an insult or criticism