as in cruel
likely to seek revenge
be careful not to annoy the vindictive old woman who lives down the street
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Recent Examples of vindictive
Others are more hesitant to face off against an aggressive federal government and a vindictive president looking to inflict pain on his political enemies.
—
Max Tani, semafor.com, 14 July 2025
Now, Americans should assume the companies’ lucrative levers of surveillance and persuasion are at the disposal, if not outright service, of a vindictive president, who’s increasingly unbound by judicial and other checks on his power.
—Max Taves, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
The supernatural thriller sees a woman return from death as a vindictive spirit to torment her adulterous husband.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 June 2025
There was speculation in and around the organization about whether the presence of the federal agents was a form of retaliation by a notoriously vindictive administration.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Max Tani, semafor.com, 14 July 2025
Now, Americans should assume the companies’ lucrative levers of surveillance and persuasion are at the disposal, if not outright service, of a vindictive president, who’s increasingly unbound by judicial and other checks on his power.
—Max Taves, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
The supernatural thriller sees a woman return from death as a vindictive spirit to torment her adulterous husband.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 June 2025
There was speculation in and around the organization about whether the presence of the federal agents was a form of retaliation by a notoriously vindictive administration.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vindictive
Adjective
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The series centers on a group of kids with latent or emerging special abilities who are subjected to cruel experiments at the mysterious institute of the title, along with a local cop (Ben Barnes) whose story intersects with that of the kids.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Aug. 2025
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As Wallace and Gromit investigate this mysterious thief, their paths cross with the cruel, trigger-happy Lord Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes), who has his own ambitions for the competition and Wallace’s love interest, Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter).—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Accessing the code prompts recipients to provide personal and financial information, or can lead to downloading malicious software.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
President Trump is, once again, testing the limits of his power, hoping to intimidate other cities into submission to his every vengeful whim by making the once unimaginable—an American tyrant ordering a military occupation of our own capital—a terrifying reality.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
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All that’s missing is a bloodthirsty, vengeful mob.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
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Nothing could possibly go wrong with all the vicious alien specimens on board, right?—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Fans hoping for a revengeful scoring outburst were left wanting a little more, however, as Dončić — a career 28.6 points per game scorer — added only 10 points over the final three quarters.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC News,
26 Feb. 2025
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Eventually, this revengeful streak will result in loneliness and isolation.—
Nicole Froio,
refinery29.com,
29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The nonprofit’s promotional ads were on social media including Facebook, where it was met with some explicitly hateful comments aimed at the LGBTQ community, Carolina Theatre spokesman Jared Misner said.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Aug. 2025
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They were targeted, hateful attempts to intimidate and silence members of our community.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The cooperative exercises typically elicit a hostile response from North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, who has steadily disapproved of the drills for years.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Aug. 2025
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This breach demonstrates that hostile players can target individuals within organizations, not just organizations themselves.—
Phillimon Zongo,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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As Virginia's next Governor, Abigail will continue to put petty political games aside, put Virginia first, and stand up to the chaos in Washington to deliver for the Commonwealth — because that's the leadership Virginians deserve.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
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How petty and pathetic and thin skinned could this administration get?—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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