as in vindictive
likely to seek revenge
a vengeful person never lets go of a grudge
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vengeful
Blunt is at her most formidable in vengeful mother mode, and The English’s dark, foreboding atmosphere will haunt you in the best possible fashion.
—
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
The freaky happenings in this seemingly antiseptic city include clashes with werewolves, bigfoot, aliens, ghosts, mummies, alternate dimensions, vengeful tornados, and Elvis!
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Carved from whale bones, reindeer antlers and walrus tusks, these fierce talismans are vengeful spirits traditionally created by shamans to destroy enemies.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Valentine’s complex character and vengeful nature lead him to his demise.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
The freaky happenings in this seemingly antiseptic city include clashes with werewolves, bigfoot, aliens, ghosts, mummies, alternate dimensions, vengeful tornados, and Elvis!
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Carved from whale bones, reindeer antlers and walrus tusks, these fierce talismans are vengeful spirits traditionally created by shamans to destroy enemies.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Valentine’s complex character and vengeful nature lead him to his demise.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vengeful
Adjective
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The courts give the executive branch the benefit of the doubt in many cases, including, for example, when prosecutions are accused of being selective or vindictive.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
-
The legendary film from 1990 hinges on Bates’ all-consuming transformation into Annie Wilkes, a mousy woman dismissed by the world only to reveal her vindictive nature when the rules collapse.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 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
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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
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Said quest forces her to reexamine a revelatory affair with an RAF pilot, and consider how their engagement’s cruel ending set her on the path to a different sort of fulfillment.—
Hayley Maitland,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
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Government should tame the savageness of man and make life in this world more gentle, not crueler.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Catherine’s brother Hindley, a vicious bully whose abuse is part of what drives Cathy and Heathcliff so closely together, is cut entirely, his role combined with Catherine’s father.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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Everyone is fair game for her vicious tongue.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Russian general was one of several GRU officials sanctioned by the United States in 2016 for wide-ranging malicious cyber activity directed at undermining US democratic processes.—
Anna Chernova,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This is not the first time that Peacock has taken to social media to ask viewers to refrain from sending hateful messages.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Jan. 2026
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Since 2004, Orange County also has been predominantly nonwhite, but some conservative families, such as Woodward’s, bond over a hateful ideology.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The hostile bid came as Nexstar Media Group agreed to acquire Tegna, in a $6 billion transaction that would run afoul of the FCC’s 39% ownership cap; Nexstar has filed for a waiver to the ownership cap.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
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The 31-year-old Puerto Rican singer’s celebration of Hispanic culture could hardly have arrived at a more hostile moment for Latinos.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But Putin was not going to launch a new war against Turkey’s rebel allies just to save a petty dictator whose own soldiers were deserting.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Ruling like a petty tyrant from the company’s headquarters in lower Manhattan, Coplan isn’t an easy boss to work with, according to new reporting by the Wall Street Journal.—
Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4,
Futurism,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vengeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vengeful. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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