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
Similarly, France’s government faces a confidence vote on Monday after bond vigilantes sent French yields higher on expectations for more gridlock and no progress on reining in deficits.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Notably, Bernthal’s take on the vigilante was featured in two seasons of Netflix’s The Punisher before it was canceled in 2019.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
And in 2017, the title poem of my collection, Crossing the Border, satirized vigilante border patrols that hunt immigrants like animals.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Based on the book Devils in Exile by Chuck Hogan, Sugar Bandits follows a former Special Forces soldier who runs an elite vigilante squad working to wipe out the drug trade in Boston.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vigilante
Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Notably, Bernthal’s take on the vigilante was featured in two seasons of Netflix’s The Punisher before it was canceled in 2019.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
And in 2017, the title poem of my collection, Crossing the Border, satirized vigilante border patrols that hunt immigrants like animals.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Based on the book Devils in Exile by Chuck Hogan, Sugar Bandits follows a former Special Forces soldier who runs an elite vigilante squad working to wipe out the drug trade in Boston.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vigilante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vigilante
Noun
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After California came another business nemesis, Texas, where values dipped $32 billion.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
15 Sep. 2025
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The Greeks warned that hubris invites nemesis, and nemesis brings downfall.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Mangione's image has been merged into memes with Nintendo's Luigi, portraying him as a vigilante avenger of systemic injustice.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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An important, if subtle, difference between Meiko Kaji and Pam Grier as action stars is that, where Kaji is an avenger, Grier is a protector.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
20 Aug. 2025
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 18 Sep. 2025.
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