as in nemesis
one who inflicts punishment in return for an injury or offense
the danger of these self-appointed vigilantes is that they sometimes go after innocent people
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Recent Examples of vigilante
Murdock and his vigilante allies have been forced underground, while Fisk imposes multiple harsh authoritarian measures on the city to cement his power.
—
ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Bond vigilantes have closely watched his fate in recent weeks, and the results are expected to further fuel speculation the prime minister could be deposed by his party.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 8 May 2026
Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle, the obsessed vigilante waging a one-man war on crime.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
However, Daredevil and several of his fellow vigilantes had to go underground in order to expose Kingpin's lies.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for vigilante
ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Bond vigilantes have closely watched his fate in recent weeks, and the results are expected to further fuel speculation the prime minister could be deposed by his party.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 8 May 2026
Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle, the obsessed vigilante waging a one-man war on crime.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
However, Daredevil and several of his fellow vigilantes had to go underground in order to expose Kingpin's lies.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for vigilante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vigilante
Noun
-
One day, the crew was filming a scene at one of Christie’s fashion shows, where the Velvet Gang confronts its nemesis.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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Various nemeses and side characters enter the fray, from Jim’s archenemy (and also Insta-famous) Pavel to the scally with a sneaker-sniffing fetish who guides Jim and Lucien to their next destination.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
Noun
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But as all the world knows, Edmond Dantès did rise again, transformed from an innocent young sailor into that courtly yet implacable avenger, the Count of Monte Cristo.—
Michael Dirda,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
-
And it was signed, black dahlia avenger.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Montgomery has barely been in the big leagues for two months but has already put his name alongside a couple of franchise icons (and another hard-core punisher of baseballs).—
Phil Rogers,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vigilante.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vigilante. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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