nemeses

plural of nemesis
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 nemeses Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeton are workplace nemeses who serve as executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Kayla Olson, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026 The actors played each other's nemeses in the comedy series created by and starring Seth Rogen. Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026 The New York Yankees continue to be the Kansas City Royals’ nemeses. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 25 May 2026 Various nemeses and side characters enter the fray, from Jim’s archenemy (and also Insta-famous) Pavel to the scally with a sneaker-sniffing fetish who guides Jim and Lucien to their next destination. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2026 Yura’s nemeses, who are part of her elderly father’s underwater court, seem to be after her magical flute, an ancient device that controls their kingdom’s dragon. Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 1 May 2026 So have their nemeses in the LAPD. Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026 Pete McBride Advertisement Five and half decades ago, two Colorado River nemeses, Floyd Dominy of the Bureau of Reclamation (pro-dam) and David Brower of the Sierra Club (anti-dam), did just that. Pete McBride, Time, 27 Feb. 2026 By fighting for fairness and equality, while simultaneously asking us to care for others with compassion and empathy (sharing this with our frenemies and nemeses will be hard, but valuable in teaching them to be kind). Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nemeses
Noun
  • The unrest began in mid-March but has intensified, leaving at least three dead as vigilantes armed with spears, clubs, and whips assaulted migrants and destroyed their homes.
    Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 28 June 2026
  • For a storyteller whose works revolve around complicated or slippery romances, life-altering revelations, and fateful everyday encounters, the brutality of the mafia and New York City street vigilantes feels far removed from her own.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • Newcastle feared an even more punitive settlement and spent months in dialogue and face-to-face meetings with UEFA officials to try to reduce the severity of the punishments.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • As part of the collective bargaining agreement reached in March, the WNBA introduced a no-hate campaign that included a stronger fan code of conduct that specifies punishments for online abuse of players and other inappropriate behaviors.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Noun
  • Directed by Sébastien Vanicek (2023’s Infested), the follow-up to 2023 reboot Evil Dead Rise stars Wednesday‘s Hunter Doohan in a story about curses lingering too long in a family and the undead that haunts them.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 7 July 2026
  • Morgan and her Judgment Day cronies tried to bribe Danhausen to put curses on their opponents.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2026
Noun
  • Those penalties significantly hampered an offense that failed to generate explosive plays.
    Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
  • Doing so can result in penalties, attorney fees and enforcement proceedings, according to the ordinance.
    Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
Noun
  • Living in Alpine, Anderson has had to evacuate his home because of wildfire threats, and noted that CalFire, the county and the community learned from the fires and are much better prepared now than in the past.
    Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026
  • Starmer’s finance minister, Rachel Reeves, was ousted, replaced by John Healey, a former defense secretary who resigned in June and accused the Treasury of failing to spend enough on the military at a time of rising threats.
    ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Noun
  • The actresses play the delightful mother-daughter duo Angela and Ainsley — who are oftentimes the banes of Tommy's (Billy Bob Thornton) existence — in the Taylor Sheridan series.
    Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 28 Dec. 2025
  • But along with ready cash, the laissez-faire approach brought the banes of corruption, criminal infiltration, and rampant pollution.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Those menaces to society take their street tactics with them behind bars and prey on each other.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026
  • Her recent work revives a dreamy Renaissance style to show its absurd incompatibility with the raging, petulant menaces in whom the world’s power is concentrated.
    Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026

Cite this Entry

“Nemeses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nemeses. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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