as in vengeful
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in revenging
to punish in kind the wrongdoer responsible for
a play about a prince who struggles to avenge his father's death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of avenging
David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 May 2018
Iron Man and his avenging friends are onto Phase 3 now.)
—David Greenwald, OregonLive.com, 13 June 2017
Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Police now believe that the men who shot and killed Hughes were members of a Central Richmond gang, deadset on avenging a comrade who was gunned down in Oakland 10 days earlier.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
Smith positions the avenging goddess in a horror-show hall of mirrors, with a closed-circuit video feed focused on Vindicatrix’s upraised arm gesturing in oath.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
After encountering an alien girl named Ruthye, who is hellbent on avenging the death of her father, Supergirl joins the fight for justice.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
The Illini can end Connecticut's ridiculous run on Saturday by avenging their November loss at Madison Square Garden.
—Ryan Baker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
And Houston tries to continue its march toward avenging its loss in last year’s championship game.
—The Sports Desk, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
But the team wouldn’t mind avenging Saturday’s loss at Marquette, which cost them a regular season championship.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
Yet avenging that setback to their Champions League qualification chances was not simply about being more ruthless at one end of the pitch and less careless at the other.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Toss in his portly stature and Hoskins was a perfect choice for the heroic plumber Mario, the avenging angel who stomps through worlds of evil turtles and living mushrooms, even if the actor was neither Italian nor American.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 May 2018
Iron Man and his avenging friends are onto Phase 3 now.)
—David Greenwald, OregonLive.com, 13 June 2017
Verb
Current political events offer a seemingly endless procession of cruelties worth avenging.
—Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Police now believe that the men who shot and killed Hughes were members of a Central Richmond gang, deadset on avenging a comrade who was gunned down in Oakland 10 days earlier.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
Smith positions the avenging goddess in a horror-show hall of mirrors, with a closed-circuit video feed focused on Vindicatrix’s upraised arm gesturing in oath.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
After encountering an alien girl named Ruthye, who is hellbent on avenging the death of her father, Supergirl joins the fight for justice.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
The Illini can end Connecticut's ridiculous run on Saturday by avenging their November loss at Madison Square Garden.
—Ryan Baker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
And Houston tries to continue its march toward avenging its loss in last year’s championship game.
—The Sports Desk, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
But the team wouldn’t mind avenging Saturday’s loss at Marquette, which cost them a regular season championship.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
Yet avenging that setback to their Champions League qualification chances was not simply about being more ruthless at one end of the pitch and less careless at the other.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avenging
Adjective
-
And, some claim, vengeful Sicilian spirits.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
Thewlis will lead the cast playing Trevor, a vengeful and dangerous psychopath who terrorizes a group of homebuyers at the heart of the events.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Gulf territories such as the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have borne the brunt of Iran’s retaliatory strikes but are pushing on with plans to expand to place in the international film business.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
-
North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Those kind of plays have the Wild coaches praising Hartman for his maturity, in not taking the bait and retaliating with an act that might mean another lengthy suspension.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2026
-
Iran seems to be retaliating by firing upon and potentially seizing more commercial ships.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Flanagan also directed Comey’s attorneys to file any motions to dismiss and other pretrial challenges by June 5, after defense lawyers previewed plans to argue the case amounts to a selective and vindictive prosecution.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 May 2026
-
Their beliefs are not vindictive; they are considered.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
That administration established political control over key judicial institutions by stacking higher courts with friendly judges and punishing its critics with disciplinary action or assignments to faraway locations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
-
However, beneath the surface, Cramer said the market has become increasingly bifurcated, with investors piling into a narrow group of artificial intelligence winners while severely punishing companies that disappoint or simply fail to impress.—
Alexa LoMonaco,
CNBC,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
DeMar DeRozan had 32, Russell Westbrook had a revengeful 22 and Malik Monk had 26 off the bench.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Brian Heil played Don Jose with angst and ultimately, revengeful rage as Carmen’s spurned lover.—
Marcia Luttrell,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The difference between this Andrew Wilson and the one from Whatever was remarkable—as was the fact that Rogan was prepared to host the benevolent version without any apparent concern for the malevolent one.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
The rapid rise of AI, while technologically dazzling, has prompted widespread anxieties on multiple fronts, including job security, human worth and potential misuse by malevolent actors looking to commit fraud, spread disinformation or foment hate.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Celeste team argues that large, heavy drones pose a serious cybersecurity risk, as they could be hijacked and used for harm by malicious hackers.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
-
That’s not necessarily malicious.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Avenging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avenging. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
