as in vengeful
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Dissimilar Words
as in revenging
to punish in kind the wrongdoer responsible for
a play about a prince who struggles to avenge his father's death
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of avenging
David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 May 2018
Iron Man and his avenging friends are onto Phase 3 now.)
—David Greenwald, OregonLive.com, 13 June 2017
The Sports Desk, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
But the team wouldn’t mind avenging Saturday’s loss at Marquette, which cost them a regular season championship.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
The win also carries extra meaning for a program that has rapidly risen under coach Cameron Bradford, avenging a 2023 NorCal semifinal loss to Oakland and sending TKA to its second consecutive NorCal final.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2026
Yet avenging that setback to their Champions League qualification chances was not simply about being more ruthless at one end of the pitch and less careless at the other.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
In Vertical‘s first trailer for the modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, which premieres April 10 in theaters, Riz Ahmed takes on the titular role of a man avenging his father’s death and taking on his family’s corrupt empire.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2026
In fact, everything the Bruins want to achieve remains in front of them – defending their Big Ten Tournament championship, avenging a 2025 Final Four loss.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
The Stars and Golden Knights played playoff series in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024 — with the Stars falling to the Golden Knights in the 2023 Western Conference finals before avenging that loss in a thrilling Game 7 win in the first round of 2024.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Toss in his portly stature and Hoskins was a perfect choice for the heroic plumber Mario, the avenging angel who stomps through worlds of evil turtles and living mushrooms, even if the actor was neither Italian nor American.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 May 2018
Iron Man and his avenging friends are onto Phase 3 now.)
—David Greenwald, OregonLive.com, 13 June 2017
Verb
And Houston tries to continue its march toward avenging its loss in last year’s championship game.
—The Sports Desk, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
But the team wouldn’t mind avenging Saturday’s loss at Marquette, which cost them a regular season championship.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
The win also carries extra meaning for a program that has rapidly risen under coach Cameron Bradford, avenging a 2023 NorCal semifinal loss to Oakland and sending TKA to its second consecutive NorCal final.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2026
Yet avenging that setback to their Champions League qualification chances was not simply about being more ruthless at one end of the pitch and less careless at the other.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
In Vertical‘s first trailer for the modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, which premieres April 10 in theaters, Riz Ahmed takes on the titular role of a man avenging his father’s death and taking on his family’s corrupt empire.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2026
In fact, everything the Bruins want to achieve remains in front of them – defending their Big Ten Tournament championship, avenging a 2025 Final Four loss.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
The Stars and Golden Knights played playoff series in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024 — with the Stars falling to the Golden Knights in the 2023 Western Conference finals before avenging that loss in a thrilling Game 7 win in the first round of 2024.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avenging
Adjective
-
Alana Haim, as a maid of honor turned vengeful by Emma’s news, is both funny and scarily intense; her toast at the wedding is a small master class in how to say one thing and mean something else entirely.—
Moira Macdonald,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
-
She’s also consumed by vengeful rage, much of it directed at the unstable assassin Bullseye (Wilson Bethel).—
Bob Strauss,
Houston Chronicle,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And European Union imports of American whiskeys declined after producers sent extra shipments in late 2024 because of the threat of retaliatory tariffs.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Iran embroiled the region.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hezbollah also was retaliating for near-daily Israeli attacks despite a ceasefire agreement reached 15 months ago.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Idris Robinson, assistant professor of philosophy, is accusing school officials of violating his free speech and retaliating against him, according to the lawsuit.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That timeline is a key part of the argument Smartmatic laid out in its March 10 filing, which is asking the court to dismiss the charges as amounting to unlawfully vindictive against the company.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
-
That was the Harvey that many people remember — crude, profane and vindictive.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Moderate exercise helps, but high-intensity overtraining can raise cortisol further, worth knowing if punishing workouts are already part of a stressed routine.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face punishing strikes on critical energy infrastructure.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
DeMar DeRozan had 32, Russell Westbrook had a revengeful 22 and Malik Monk had 26 off the bench.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Brian Heil played Don Jose with angst and ultimately, revengeful rage as Carmen’s spurned lover.—
Marcia Luttrell,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Developed by Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, the series expands the mythology of Derry, Maine, exploring the origins of Pennywise, the malevolent entity at the center of King’s iconic story.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
-
When faced with an intractable problem, or with a person or movement that is malevolent in its very nature, fundamental rupture and daring rejection is required.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The malicious actor hacked into Weiss’s contact’s Telegram, arranged a video call with him, and attempted to run a script on his computer to get his passwords.—
Carlos Garcia,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
There’s nothing malicious or negative about [their split].—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Avenging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avenging. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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