as in vengeful
likely to seek revenge
the minister urged his congregation to be less revengeful and more forgiving in spirit
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Recent Examples of revengeful
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
This latest installment finds the Sully family grieving one of their own when a new threat emerges in the form of the Fire tribe, an antagonistic group of Na’vi volcano-dwellers led by the revengeful Varang (Oona Chaplin in her franchise debut).
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 2 Dec. 2025
Fans hoping for a revengeful scoring outburst were left wanting a little more, however, as Dončić — a career 28.6 points per game scorer — added only 10 points over the final three quarters.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2025
Eventually, this revengeful streak will result in loneliness and isolation.
—Nicole Froio, refinery29.com, 29 Oct. 2024
Artemis was revengeful toward anyone who trespassed in wild nature, and trespassing could mean neglect, like not paying your dues.
—Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 20 June 2023
Bold, angry, and revengeful.
—Michael W. Clune, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
The club came back with wins over Heights Norhill and a revengeful victory over Post Oak on Sunday, but leaving the bases loaded three times is going to all but ruin any team’s hopes for a big win.
—Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 9 July 2019
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
This latest installment finds the Sully family grieving one of their own when a new threat emerges in the form of the Fire tribe, an antagonistic group of Na’vi volcano-dwellers led by the revengeful Varang (Oona Chaplin in her franchise debut).
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 2 Dec. 2025
Fans hoping for a revengeful scoring outburst were left wanting a little more, however, as Dončić — a career 28.6 points per game scorer — added only 10 points over the final three quarters.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2025
Eventually, this revengeful streak will result in loneliness and isolation.
—Nicole Froio, refinery29.com, 29 Oct. 2024
Artemis was revengeful toward anyone who trespassed in wild nature, and trespassing could mean neglect, like not paying your dues.
—Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 20 June 2023
Bold, angry, and revengeful.
—Michael W. Clune, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
The club came back with wins over Heights Norhill and a revengeful victory over Post Oak on Sunday, but leaving the bases loaded three times is going to all but ruin any team’s hopes for a big win.
—Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 9 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revengeful
Adjective
-
Many fear Tehran is in a vengeful mood after anti-regime protests following the killing of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the outset of the conflict.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
4 May 2026
-
Now with Killen at the helm, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is embodying the vengeful ex-CIA special operative who is out for blood.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But the occupant of the Oval Office doesn’t want his underlings engaging in self-promotion and vindictive lawsuits.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Hally’s vindictive turn is a betrayal, not just of their bond, but of the dream of a more equitable South Africa that could tolerate a Black man being a mentor to a spoiled, brokenhearted white kid.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Its cruel and even lawless excesses have reverberated around the globe.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 May 2026
-
This is how cruel football can be.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The malicious Iranian regime is our national enemy.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Under President John Adams, the Federalists sought to eradicate French ideological influence by raising the bar to citizenship, lowering the bar to deportation, and criminalizing malicious criticism of the federal government.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Connecticut led New York 13-4 through the first four minutes of the third quarter, but Stewart killed the momentum with a vicious block from behind as Miller went up for a fast-break layup off of a steal.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
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Harris’s film, though, trades brainy barbs for some pretty vicious violence as a set of twins, badly scarred from a childhood fire, go on a journey to confront the root of their trauma.—
Juan A. Ramírez,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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But don’t forget, coming with that agenda were the most wild and hateful type of movements … the Ku Klux Klan.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
-
An investigation is underway into hateful graffiti in a Long Island neighborhood.—
Jenna DeAngelis,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Being on the road and in a hostile environment is something that Ayton also is looking forward to.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
-
The race between Jones and Jackson has been incredibly hostile, with both releasing a myriad of attack ads and going after one another in debates.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Of course, David went on to build one of the most illustrious careers in television with characters who are often arrogant, petty and unlikable by traditional media standards.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
8 May 2026
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Middle school is, famously, a time of petty cruelty and small-scale social Darwinism.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Revengeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revengeful. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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