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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So there's going to be people, vigilantes, superheroes that are involved in that.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Sep. 2025
-
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
Noun
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Arbitrary rulemaking and punishments, absurdism and fringe beliefs are part and parcel of Lanthimos’ storytelling.—
Thomas Page,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The college football season has now reached its midway point, and while numerous punishments have already been handed down to programs this year—most stemming from field-storming incidents—Tuesday brought a notable enforcement under a different policy.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The source of a zombie outbreak can come from anywhere, including ancient curses and meteorites from space.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
17 Oct. 2025
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That mindset leads to no shortage of delightfully blasé supernatural adventures rife with magic and curses.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In 2021, the state implemented several new and stricter penalties for hazing after 19-year-old Timothy Piazza, a New Jersey resident, died after being forced to drink copious amounts of alcohol while attending Penn State University.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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In July, Louisiana enacted a similar drone law that gives law enforcement the authority to intercept and disable unauthorized drones that pose a public safety threat, with penalties up to a $5,000 fine or one year in jail.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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With increasing space traffic from various nations and private companies, keeping tabs on potential collisions and threats becomes crucial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
That marked a significant cooling of tensions, after a recent volley of tariff threats and fresh export curbs threatened to derail the bilateral relationship.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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The aforementioned around-town mileage, for example, was one of the biggest banes of the Jeep owner's existence.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Perhaps the most familiar trope of Scooby-Doo stories is the resolution, where our investigators unmask the human villains who are menaces dressed as monsters.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
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These phantom menaces don’t seem to bother Todd at all, though Indy is understandably upset by them.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nemeses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nemeses. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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