as in nemesis
one who inflicts punishment in return for an injury or offense
a novel about a man who becomes the obsessed avenger of his sister's death
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Recent Examples of avenger
And it was signed, black dahlia avenger.
—
Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
By the end of that first half hour, he has been unmasked as the bloody avenger of the backyard.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
Before she was known as Lady Van Tassel and terrorized the town in New York with her ghostly avenger, Mary went by the name Sarah Archer, a young girl trying to survive her witch of a mother.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026
When both young people meet their end the Baron saves Christina by putting Hans’ brain in Christina’s body, uniting their blurred identities in a joint thirst for revenge, creating a Gothic avenger who hunts down the aristocratic ruffians who ruined their happiness.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Kirk had been building his reputation as an imperious, right-wing avenger on college campuses, debating anyone willing to step up to the microphone to challenge him.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Mangione's image has been merged into memes with Nintendo's Luigi, portraying him as a vigilante avenger of systemic injustice.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
An important, if subtle, difference between Meiko Kaji and Pam Grier as action stars is that, where Kaji is an avenger, Grier is a protector.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
By the end of that first half hour, he has been unmasked as the bloody avenger of the backyard.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
Before she was known as Lady Van Tassel and terrorized the town in New York with her ghostly avenger, Mary went by the name Sarah Archer, a young girl trying to survive her witch of a mother.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026
When both young people meet their end the Baron saves Christina by putting Hans’ brain in Christina’s body, uniting their blurred identities in a joint thirst for revenge, creating a Gothic avenger who hunts down the aristocratic ruffians who ruined their happiness.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Kirk had been building his reputation as an imperious, right-wing avenger on college campuses, debating anyone willing to step up to the microphone to challenge him.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Mangione's image has been merged into memes with Nintendo's Luigi, portraying him as a vigilante avenger of systemic injustice.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
An important, if subtle, difference between Meiko Kaji and Pam Grier as action stars is that, where Kaji is an avenger, Grier is a protector.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avenger
Noun
-
Craig Robinson is Reggie’s nemesis, as the aforementioned Jerry Basmati, a rival player (and cynical Christian), who inherited the post-gridiron media career Reggie imagined for himself.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
There are fun villains; Reggie’s nemesis is a sneakily vicious NFL alum (Craig Robinson) with the splendid name Jerry Basmati.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
As the body count rises, Inspector Jack Phatudi is drawn into a dangerous manhunt to unmask the vigilante.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Amid mounting pressure from both vigilante violence and municipal manipulation, Dearing settled the condemnation lawsuit and moved his family to 7th Street in West Oakland.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
“Avenger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avenger. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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