Definition of VIGILANTE

The Meaning and Origin of Vigilante

Vigilante entered English in the 19th century, borrowed from the Spanish word of the same spelling which meant “watchman, guard” in that language. The Spanish word can be traced back to the Latin vigilare, meaning “to keep awake.” The earliest use of the word in English was to refer to a member of a vigilance committee, a committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily, as when the processes of law appear inadequate. The word may often be found in an attributive role, as in the phrases “vigilante justice,” or “vigilante group.” In this slightly broadened sense it carries the suggestion of the enforcement of laws without regard to due process or the general rule of law.

Examples of vigilante in a Sentence

the danger of these self-appointed vigilantes is that they sometimes go after innocent people

Recent Examples on the Web Georgia's 6th district, which once reliably sent Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich to Congress, reelected Democrat Lucy McBath on Tuesday, a Black woman whose son was shot to death by a white vigilante in Florida. — Matthew Brown, USA TODAY, "Georgia solidifies its swing-state status thanks, in part, to Stacey Abrams," 5 Nov. 2020 Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old vigilante now celebrated by some right-wing groups, was charged in August with homicide in connection with the fatal shooting of two people in Kenosha, Wisc., during protests against a police shooting of a Black man. — Los Angeles Times, "What if armed, far-right groups go to the polls? Some plan to," 10 Oct. 2020 Joe Biden condemned both the shooting of Wisconsin man Jacob Blake by law enforcement and the violent riots that followed in the days after that escalated into a shooting by a counterprotest vigilante that resulted in two deaths and one injury. — Emily Larsen, Washington Examiner, "'Not protest, it's needless violence': Biden addresses Kenosha shooting aftermath, has spoken to Jacob Blake's family," 26 Aug. 2020 This is also part of the alchemy through which Dwight Schrute—a misogynist in the age of Elliot Rodger, a conspiracist in the age of QAnon, a vigilante in the age of Kyle Rittenhouse—can read, still, as a joke. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "Dwight Schrute Was a Warning," 29 Oct. 2020 Back in June, an unknown vigilante began tweeting it out line by line, and is currently up to chapter 27 (out of 32 in total). — Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, "Deep Vellum will reissue ‘The Accommodation,’ a history of racial politics in Dallas, next fall," 1 Oct. 2020 Some people view Rittenhouse as a vigilante, while others agree with his defense team that the teen acted in self-defense. — Karie Angell Luc, chicagotribune.com, "Small vigil for victims held outside Lake County Courthouse during Kyle Rittenhouse extradition hearing," 25 Sep. 2020 Injustice has steered the career path for Virgil, who is Rosebud’s vigilante. — Carol Memmott, Washington Post, "‘Winter Counts’ hits the sweet spot between gritty thriller and social novel," 28 Aug. 2020 Even as hate crimes spiked 17 percent in 2017 and incidents of physical violence have increased, Trump’s Republican Party focuses on the protests for Black lives and excuses police and vigilante violence against them. — Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, "Don’t Reboot the 2016 Horror Show," 23 Oct. 2020

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