avenging 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of avengingnext
as in vengeful

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

avenging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of avenge
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
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
Verb
After avenging his father’s murder, Kenji was forced to flee his country, carrying only his sword and his shame. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 21 July 2026 There’s a house on the property where Francis Ford Coppola filmed Vito Corleone avenging his mother’s death in The Godfather Part II, but Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were interested in a much older tale about Sicily—one of gods and mortals. — Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 14 July 2026 While there has been talk of avenging that conflict on social media, the Argentina news outlet Clarín shared a letter from veterans of the Falklands War. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026 Mir is focused on fulfilling his dad’s dreams of investing DarCo money in golf courses and country clubs, while Raj is focused on avenging their father’s death at the hands of his former lieutenant, Ahmad (Brian George). — Joe Otterson, Variety, 28 May 2026 And following the game, Chisholm noted that he and some of his Yankees teammates are focused on avenging their playoff loss to the Blue Jays from last season. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026 Hiroyuki Sanada plays Scorpion, an undead warrior hellbent on avenging the deaths of him and his family at the hands of Sub-Zero. — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avenging
  1. vengeful
  2. retaliating
  3. retaliatory
  4. punishing
  5. vindictive
  6. revengeful
  7. malevolent
  8. malicious
Adjective
  • Here was a candidate who got shot—as Roosevelt was, in 1912, by a man who’d been instructed to do so in a dream by the vengeful ghost of William McKinley—and kept on campaigning.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Then the Legislature must act, looking for ways to keep state employees from abusing their power in pursuit of a political or vengeful agenda.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of vengeful
Verb
  • The police union, meanwhile, is accusing Suarez of calling in favors and then retaliating.
    — Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026
  • When Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel in April 2024, Israel highlighted its success at defending its territory before retaliating with precision strikes against Iranian military targets.
    — Erik Lin-Greenberg, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026
Definition of retaliating
Adjective
  • The European Union prepared retaliatory tariffs against the United States last year but repeatedly suspended them while negotiating with Washington.
    — Rob Gillies, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Prime Minister Carney said there will be new retaliatory tariffs rolling out next week on steel, dairy appliances, ag equipment, pulp and paper, electronics.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of retaliatory
Verb
  • Iran has weathered near-continuous, punishing economic sanctions for nearly 50 years, since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The punishing financial verdicts against Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, in recent years have forced him into bankruptcy, led to some of his personal property being put up for auction and led to him leaving his Infowars platform.
    — Jim Vertuno, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of punishing
Adjective
  • Instead, the former football receiver claimed that the suspension was the result of vindictive parents with complaints about their kids’ playing time.
    — Molly Hensley-Clancy, ProPublica, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The filing was one of several Tuesday in response to a filing by Comey's lawyers seeking to dismiss the indictment against him on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of vindictive
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
Definition of revengeful
Adjective
  • In other cases Hoodoo was used to counter the threat of curses, as in the practice of suspending bottles from a tree to trap any malevolent spirits or witches traveling in spirit form.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The Gwi Realm is a desolate, crimson wasteland littered with malevolent presence, so naturally there have been comparisons to that other little Netflix show called Stranger Things.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of malevolent
Adjective
  • Use strong security software Good security software can help protect you from malicious links, phishing attempts and other online threats that may try to steal your information.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Many phones silently join familiar-looking networks without user confirmation, a behavior that attackers exploit through malicious wireless access points that mimic trusted hotspots.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of malicious

Browse Nearby Words

avenges
avenging
avenue
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Cite this Entry

“Avenging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avenging. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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