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
  • Most of the other relationships in the movie are hopelessly corrupted or poisoned in some way, as Letty moves between an unloving mother and a vengeful former lover, and others whose closeness is a weapon to be feared.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 28 July 2026
  • Russia, already shock-therapied into unprecedented national calamity, was beginning to recoil from fervent Americanophilia into vengeful ultra-nationalism.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
Definition of vengeful
Verb
  • The attacks again raised the possibility that Gulf Arab states were retaliating against Iran without discussing it in public.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • Brooks, a South Carolina congressman, was retaliating for a speech Sumner had given condemning slavery and personally insulting a relative of Brooks.
    — Paul Quigley, The Conversation, 13 July 2026
Definition of retaliating
Adjective
  • Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,317 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • The United States is slapping 50% tariffs on Canadian products from wine and hockey sticks to cement, in response to Canada’s retaliatory duties on American cars, alcohol, and cheese as part of the two countries’ trade war.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 20 July 2026
Definition of retaliatory
Verb
  • My dad, who lives in Cairo, told me the heat this summer has been punishing.
    — Malaka Gharib, NPR, 25 July 2026
  • For Yard Act’s 2022 debut, The Overload, the quartet chiseled flamboyant caricatures of British life and portrayed their flawed country with an abrasive, punishing tone.
    — Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026
Definition of punishing
Adjective
  • Brennan argues the records are vital to a potential vindictive-prosecution defense, citing more than 100 Trump statements attacking him and directives to pursue cases without legal basis.
    — Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • Her reasons for taking the throne have become more personal, more vindictive.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 June 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
  • There’s a reason Hollywood thrives on harmless, lovable characters that turn into malevolent, even homicidal, threats.
    — Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Peter Gosselin Washington Moyn’s article and the accompanying cover photograph—showing old people as malevolent and evil—were not up to the usual standards of Harper’s Magazine.
    — Peter Gosselin, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Definition of malevolent
Adjective
  • These errors can cause crashes or enable attackers to exploit memory vulnerabilities, risking data corruption or executing malicious code.
    — Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Elijah Bieniemy, who is 27 and is a graduate of Olathe Northwest High School, has been charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony and discharge of a firearm inside of a dwelling.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
Definition of malicious

Browse Nearby Words

avenges
avenging
avenue
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Avenging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avenging. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on avenging

Nglish: Translation of avenging for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All