1
as in vigilantes
one who inflicts punishment in return for an injury or offense
Batman is the Joker's main nemesis and always foils his wicked plots
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in punishments
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
social ostracism was once society's nemesis for those who defied its sexual mores
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in curses
a source of harm or misfortune
irrationality is the nemesis of democracy, for good government depends upon the wisdom of the electorate
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Recent Examples of nemeses
The Nevermore kids soon encounter their ideal nemeses in a troop of normie paramilitary Boy Scout types who’ve reserved the camp for the same days.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Judy Berman, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nemeses
Noun
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Armed with clubs and pistols, vigilantes went door to door, herding more than three hundred men, women, and children through the streets and out of town.—
Beth Lew-Williams,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Crump’s high-profile cases include representing the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black people whose deaths by law enforcement officials and vigilantes sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Regulatory punishments, rather than innovation inducements, are a massive drag on modern economies.—
David Doty,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
These surreal, blood-red dioramas depict the gruesome punishments awaiting sinners in the Chinese Buddhist afterlife.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As rocks and curses flew from the street, bullets spat from the middle window on the south side of the house.—
Neal Rubin,
Freep.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Seth was given the job to create a list of curses and a list of clean words that Steve could shout.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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By leveraging standard x86 servers, the solution avoids markup penalties associated with traditional storage appliances while lowering the total cost of ownership.—
Steve McDowell,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The stock got a big lift in early September from an antitrust ruling by a judge, whose penalties came in lighter than shareholders feared.—
Jennifer Elias,
CNBC,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The ozone layer's healing demonstrates that entire nations can coordinate to address planetary threats.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Last year demonstrated that late September and early October can be an active period for tropical development, with multiple threats that may be high-impact and potentially devastating.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nemeses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nemeses. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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