1
as in vigilante
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
2
as in punishment
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in curse
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nemesis
Radcliffe played the titular wizard Harry Potter in the beloved franchise, while Felton portrayed Potter's nemesis Draco Malfoy.
—
Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
With the threat of the extreme right rumbling across its six seasons, Knight finally brings the Peaky Blinders’ ultimate nemesis — the Nazis — within a hand grenade’s distance.
—Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 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
A little birdie told me Pino is the nemesis of Tony Danza’s character Stefano Marchetti.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nemesis
Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
With the threat of the extreme right rumbling across its six seasons, Knight finally brings the Peaky Blinders’ ultimate nemesis — the Nazis — within a hand grenade’s distance.
—Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 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
A little birdie told me Pino is the nemesis of Tony Danza’s character Stefano Marchetti.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nemesis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nemesis
Noun
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The film is an offbeat comedy following Cory, a lonely tech worker drawn into a quirky Los Angeles underground world of plant-loving vigilantes.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
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Its third and weakest season pitted the titular mountain-size vigilante drifter against an even bigger guy, so finding Ritchson a scary-looking specimen of mecha to fight is a logical progression.—
Chris Klimek,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Senegal 's parliament has approved a new bill that toughens punishment for homosexuality in the largely Muslim West African nation, the latest African country to impose harsh penalties against the LGBTQ+ community.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
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Iranian authorities enforce laws like compulsory dress codes through Draconian forms of punishment — harassment, arrests, imprisonment, and violence.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The rise of the gig economy and remote work has finally broken the cubicle curse, giving us the freedom to answer emails from a mountain cabin or run a startup from a beachside bistro.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
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Pay multiple people from the crafts site Etsy to perform tarot readings, lift any existing curses and otherwise engage in witchcraft.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And it was signed, black dahlia avenger.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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By the end of that first half hour, he has been unmasked as the bloody avenger of the backyard.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The White Stripes frontman may have incurred the wrath of Swifties with his comments in a recent interview.—
Kathleen Perricone,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
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But questions swirled about if even that would survive nature’s wrath for two-and-a-half centuries.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Lakers arrived in Denver with a 17-5 record in games involving clutch time — the same situations that have been the bane of Denver’s existence since Jokic returned from a knee injury.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
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Now that temperatures are climbing and the ground is beginning to thaw, potholes have become the bane of almost every driver on the road.—
Paul Burton,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Montgomery has barely been in the big leagues for two months but has already put his name alongside a couple of franchise icons (and another hard-core punisher of baseballs).—
Phil Rogers,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Each team picked up a penalty in the aftermath.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2026
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The French icon made his last save during seven minutes of second-half stoppage time, denying Dallas forward Petar Musa’s volley near the penalty spot with a diving two-handed parry to preserve the victory and his 26th shutout in 68 regular season appearances.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nemesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nemesis. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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