vendetta

noun

ven·​det·​ta ven-ˈde-tə 

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

Did you know?

English speakers borrowed vendetta, spelling and all, from Italian in the 19th century; literally meaning "revenge," vendetta first referred specifically to Italian and especially Corsican family- or clan-based feuds. It later extended in meaning to cover the acts that tend to feature in such feuds, and later still expanded further to refer to a commitment to carrying out such acts. Vendetta ultimately traces to the Latin verb vindicta, meaning "revenge" or "vindication." That Latin word is also in the family tree of other English terms related to getting even, including avenge, revenge, vengeance, vindicate, and vindictive.

Examples of vendetta in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adding to the chaos, Araminta (Katie Leung) also has a vendetta against Sophie, leading to her getting thrown into jail at one point, while Benedict wrestles with leaving society and his family to be with Sophie in the countryside. —Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026

First, there’s Araminta (Katie Leung) and her vendetta against Sophie, then there’s the social constraints of the time that prevent them from marrying across class, as Benedict is a gentleman while Sophie is a maid. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026

Already harboring her own personal vendetta against Roper, Burr visits Pine in Switzerland and convinces him to infiltrate Roper’s business and avenge Sophie’s death. —Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 9 Jan. 2026

And so to end up with the one person who had a straight-up personal vendetta against me, and then Steven, who kind of could see the player in me. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for vendetta

• beretta
• betta
• keta
• setae
• henrietta
• operetta
• typothetae
• periplaneta

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Kids Definition

vendetta

noun

ven·​det·​ta ven-ˈdet-ə 

1

: a feud between different families

2

: a series of acts marked by bitter hostility and motivated by a desire for revenge

waged a personal vendetta against those who opposed his candidacy