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
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That humor can become vengeful if provoked.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Since Heathcliff seems to lose all redeeming qualities after Cathy’s death, turning into a truly miserable and vengeful man, book devotees likely have a far less romantic vision of him than what is presented in the film.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Stalcup says that after the data was stolen, it was doctored and shared by the former employee, who was vindictive about being fired for cause.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Heathcliff is surly, cruel, and vindictive.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
His lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, sought to show that his past had formed him, but there was a cruel irony in the reference.—
Gaby Wood,
Vogue,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Many of these schools are impossibly competitive – impossibly and fantastically cruel.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Rodney Ward could face up to 25 years in prison for the charges of theft and malicious destruction of property.—
Caroline Foreback,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Their poverty, the fruit of Salieri’s malicious ploys, tests the limits of their endurance.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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There are fun villains; Reggie’s nemesis is a sneakily vicious NFL alum (Craig Robinson) with the splendid name Jerry Basmati.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
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Anderson received the Sydney Schanberg Prize for his reporting on decades of war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where regional and global actors have fuelled one of the world’s most vicious entrenched conflicts.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Are human beings prone to doing hateful things?—
Tara Sonenshine,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Feb. 2026
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Logan Paul called out his brother Jake Paul for his hateful take on the Bad Bunny halftime show.—
Prince J. Grimes,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Deery believes that decline can be attributed in part to prospective students and parents feeling like campuses are hostile to those who don't hold a liberal-leaning worldview.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
18 Feb. 2026
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For some unexplained reason, if such an event continues for a prolonged period, citizens can often become inexplicably hostile.—
Wayne Chan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Here are some of the pettiest, most unimportant frustrations so far.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
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Forget all this childish behavior and just stop being so petty.—
Marcia Kramer,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Revengeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revengeful. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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