as in vengeful
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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
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
The win also carries extra meaning for a program that has rapidly risen under coach Cameron Bradford, avenging a 2023 NorCal semifinal loss to Oakland and sending TKA to its second consecutive NorCal final.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 8 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
In Vertical‘s first trailer for the modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, which premieres April 10 in theaters, Riz Ahmed takes on the titular role of a man avenging his father’s death and taking on his family’s corrupt empire.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2026
In fact, everything the Bruins want to achieve remains in front of them – defending their Big Ten Tournament championship, avenging a 2025 Final Four loss.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 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
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
The win also carries extra meaning for a program that has rapidly risen under coach Cameron Bradford, avenging a 2023 NorCal semifinal loss to Oakland and sending TKA to its second consecutive NorCal final.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 8 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
In Vertical‘s first trailer for the modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, which premieres April 10 in theaters, Riz Ahmed takes on the titular role of a man avenging his father’s death and taking on his family’s corrupt empire.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2026
In fact, everything the Bruins want to achieve remains in front of them – defending their Big Ten Tournament championship, avenging a 2025 Final Four loss.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avenging
Adjective
-
Alana Haim, as a maid of honor turned vengeful by Emma’s news, is both funny and scarily intense; her toast at the wedding is a small master class in how to say one thing and mean something else entirely.—
Moira Macdonald,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
-
She’s also consumed by vengeful rage, much of it directed at the unstable assassin Bullseye (Wilson Bethel).—
Bob Strauss,
Houston Chronicle,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The ripples from retaliatory tariffs aren’t contained to Midwestern staple crops.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Early in his career, Bales worked on the department’s gang task force, part of an effort to get ahead of retaliatory violence.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Iran retaliating by blockading the Strait of Hormuz.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
-
And Iran is retaliating against energy sites in the gulf.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Sensing Julia's reluctance to submit brings out the first glimpse of Bateman's vindictive nature.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Apr. 2026
-
That timeline is a key part of the argument Smartmatic laid out in its March 10 filing, which is asking the court to dismiss the charges as amounting to unlawfully vindictive against the company.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Homelessness is punishing in itself without the fear of being fined or arrested simply for surviving outdoors.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Hathaway hurls herself into that punishing sequence with violent physical force and emotional rawness.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 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
-
When Bastian ducks into a bookstore and starts reading a book about a malevolent force (the Nothing) devouring the realm of Fantasia, the narrative comes to life.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Launching in 2010, the Insidious franchise from James Wan and Leigh Whannell delves into the theme of hauntings, primarily focusing on the existence of a malevolent realm known as The Further.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The lawsuit claims 10 violations of state and federal law, including retaliation, unlawful arrest, unlawful seizure, malicious prosecution and conspiracy and seeks an unspecified amount of money for damages.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 2026
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This, proponents said, would flag cases where parents might be removing children from school for malicious reasons while sparing those who have done nothing wrong.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Avenging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avenging. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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