as in vindictive
likely to seek revenge
a vengeful person never lets go of a grudge
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vengeful
Lamont has so far skillfully navigated the erratic, unilateral and sometimes vengeful policy pronouncements from Washington.
—
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 7 Feb. 2026
Blunt is at her most formidable in vengeful mother mode, and The English’s dark, foreboding atmosphere will haunt you in the best possible fashion.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
The freaky happenings in this seemingly antiseptic city include clashes with werewolves, bigfoot, aliens, ghosts, mummies, alternate dimensions, vengeful tornados, and Elvis!
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Carved from whale bones, reindeer antlers and walrus tusks, these fierce talismans are vengeful spirits traditionally created by shamans to destroy enemies.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 7 Feb. 2026
Blunt is at her most formidable in vengeful mother mode, and The English’s dark, foreboding atmosphere will haunt you in the best possible fashion.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
The freaky happenings in this seemingly antiseptic city include clashes with werewolves, bigfoot, aliens, ghosts, mummies, alternate dimensions, vengeful tornados, and Elvis!
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Carved from whale bones, reindeer antlers and walrus tusks, these fierce talismans are vengeful spirits traditionally created by shamans to destroy enemies.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vengeful
Adjective
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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
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Heathcliff is surly, cruel, and vindictive.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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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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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
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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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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
“Vengeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vengeful. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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