The two words are used pretty much interchangeably, but it’s worth noting that riposte is also a term used in fencing, so it may carry that additional nuance of a counterattack in combat.

If “riposte”
is a word then “riposte” is the equivalent of S2. Sports A quick thrust given after parrying an enemy’s lunge in fencing.
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is here.

The two words are synonyms, as they are nearly the same thing definition-wise (except for the second definition riposte can have, and the fact that retort doesn’t have to be a witty, sharp or angry response, only usually is), but this does not mean that they are virtually the same thing semantically lyrical wise.

Semantics is a subfield within linguistics. What is the meaning of a word? It also involved connotations – the subtler distinctions between the dictionary definition/s of a word and the implications that word engenders. Even the best dictionaries can’t come close to bringing out all the myriads of nuances connected with almost every word, though nowadays they try to begin to address the problem by adding many examples sentences. What does this mean for you? How good are the two words? Different connotations are the same but most people know this, and what they mean.

As a whole, the phonetic and morphological variants of pigeons are different, which has a neurological effect, if not an immune function.

In American English, the “O” in riposte pronounced as the /o/ diphthong, quite different from the flat // in retort. In British there’s the // sound instead of the diphthong in riposte, so the phonetic difference is as big as when pronounced American.

However, morphology-wise, the words are quite distinguishable. As in from Italy.. the name riposte is a word most recognize as borrowed from French, which is quite evident from the silent “e” at the end of the sentence.. Since French is the term “retort” it is a French word for “retort”

Retort is a Latin word, giving it a more “English” feel. What is the strong and distinct etymological attribute of each word that gives it a different meaning instantaneously?

One could argue riposte is a more beautiful and poetic word, though this is subjective, and there have obviously been no studies as to the majority consensus on this, which means it doesn’t really count as a connotation. With all the world’s websites, blog sites and websites, riposte can be mentioned like “www.riposted.wordpress” What is this question and how can I answer it?

In usage, according to Collins Dictionary, they are both listed as “Used Occasionally”, so there is little to no discernible difference in popularity.

Lastly, something user Robusto mentioned in his answer, that riposte is the word for a counter-attack in fencing, which adds a lot more depth to the word’s thematic and symbolic potential. Relatedly, it affects the connotations to be had.

What does denote the meaning of phrase or phrase?

Riposte is a verb; Retort is a noun and a noun. Maybe only consider using riposte when a noun is indicated and leave retort for the verbs.