vendetta

noun ven·det·ta \ ven-ˈde-tə \

Definition of vendetta

1 :blood feud

2 :an often prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of such acts

waged a personal vendetta against those who opposed his nomination

See vendetta defined for English-language learners

See vendetta defined for kids

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Examples of vendetta in a Sentence

He waged a personal vendetta against his rivals in the Senate.

Recent Examples of vendetta from the Web

This is insane, and suggests that the Scaramucci-Priebus feud was closer to a blood vendetta, at least from Scaramucci’s point of view.

— alex shephard, New Republic, "Anthony Scaramucci was feuding with two Reince Priebuses at the same time.," 1 Aug. 2017
The two are caught in their own personal vendettas, perhaps at the cost of their own people.

— tom philip, GQ, "War for the Planet of the Apes," 14 July 2017
In addition to his allegations about Brockamp, Myrick had accused Gower of carrying out personal vendettas and unduly influencing discipline and promotions.

— noelle crombie, OregonLive.com, "Former corrections administrator lied to director about affair, investigation finds," 6 July 2017
Mike's vendetta When Mike intercepts one of vicious gangster Hector Salamanca's drug shipments and leaves the driver tied up in the dessert, a good Samaritan stumbles upon the situation and frees the driver, who promptly calls Hector.

— patrick cooley, cleveland.com, "'Better Call Saul' on AMC: What to expect from the season 3 finale," 19 June 2017
Bet even Kim Jong-Un hasn't nursed a vendetta against anything like Sessions has with pot.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "Dennis Rodman Is Heading Back to North Korea via Weed, Which May Soon Be More Illegal in the U.S.," 13 June 2017
Martinelli, a wealthy businessman who runs a supermarket chain, denies wrongdoing and has described the charges against him as part of a political vendetta.

— Washington Post, "Ex-Panama leader fighting extradition from US in spying case," 13 June 2017
Chuck's vendetta against Saul is born of his own selfish dedication to a narrow vision of what a lawyer should look like, and is magnified by Chuck's professional humiliation after Saul illegally alters documents in an important case.

— cleveland.com, "'Better Call Saul' on AMC: What will become of Chuck?," 15 May 2017
Nolan’s attorney sees the allegations as a vendetta.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "8 victims alleged in sex charges against Tim Nolan," 10 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vendetta.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Vendetta has been getting even in English since the mid-19th century. English speakers borrowed vendetta, spelling and all, from Italian, in which it means "revenge." It ultimately traces to the Latin verb vindicare, which means "to lay claim to" or "to avenge." That Latin word is also in the family tree of many other English terms related to getting even, including avenge, revenge, vengeance, vindicate, and vindictive.

Origin and Etymology of vendetta

borrowed from Italian, "retribution, revenge, blood feud," going back to Latin vindicta — more at vindictive

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First Known Use: 1855

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VENDETTA Defined for English Language Learners

vendetta

noun

Definition of vendetta for English Language Learners

: a very long and violent fight between two families or groups
: a series of acts done by someone over a long period of time to cause harm to a disliked person or group