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
One gunman confirmed the vigilantes purchase guns from cartels, but would not say from which group.
—
ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
But vigilante movements in Mexico historically get co-opted by rival cartels or massacred, creating a dangerous spiral that could worsen after recent cartel leadership deaths.
—Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Virgil Wounded Horse, something of a vigilante, recounts the events of a tumultuous winter.
—The Know, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
The film is an offbeat comedy following Cory, a lonely tech worker drawn into a quirky Los Angeles underground world of plant-loving vigilantes.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vigilante
ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
But vigilante movements in Mexico historically get co-opted by rival cartels or massacred, creating a dangerous spiral that could worsen after recent cartel leadership deaths.
—Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Virgil Wounded Horse, something of a vigilante, recounts the events of a tumultuous winter.
—The Know, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
The film is an offbeat comedy following Cory, a lonely tech worker drawn into a quirky Los Angeles underground world of plant-loving vigilantes.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vigilante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vigilante
Noun
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Yet its nemesis is always within reach.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
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Although state legislative races rarely get the national spotlight, Democrats across the country were positively euphoric at the irony of their Republican nemesis being represented by one of their own.—
BILL BARROW,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 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
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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 1 Apr. 2026.
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