as in vindictive
likely to seek revenge
a vengeful person never lets go of a grudge
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vengeful
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bellicose and vengeful rhetoric describing the military’s war in Iran grew out of his experience in Iraq.
—
Patricia Cohen Michael Crowley John Ismay David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
The two become a secret couple, and in a funny way this movie about the transcendence of the maternal bond turns on Ledger’s evolving emotions — his realization that Kenna is a good woman, and that blaming her for Scotty’s death was shortsighted and too vengeful.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026
Genre expectations demand a certain level of peril and bloodshed, but seeing Monster register his suffering doubled at the end of Bride of Frankenstein is too poignant to only depict the Bride as violent and vengeful thereafter.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 7 Mar. 2026
Compare that to how Bondi prostituted the Justice Department to a vengeful president and bungled the entire Epstein matter.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Patricia Cohen Michael Crowley John Ismay David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
The two become a secret couple, and in a funny way this movie about the transcendence of the maternal bond turns on Ledger’s evolving emotions — his realization that Kenna is a good woman, and that blaming her for Scotty’s death was shortsighted and too vengeful.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026
Genre expectations demand a certain level of peril and bloodshed, but seeing Monster register his suffering doubled at the end of Bride of Frankenstein is too poignant to only depict the Bride as violent and vengeful thereafter.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 7 Mar. 2026
Compare that to how Bondi prostituted the Justice Department to a vengeful president and bungled the entire Epstein matter.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vengeful
Adjective
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That timeline is a key part of the argument Smartmatic laid out in its March 10 filing, which is asking the court to dismiss the charges as amounting to unlawfully vindictive against the company.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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That was the Harvey that many people remember — crude, profane and vindictive.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 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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Some countries have laws administering what critics believe are cruel punishments or place undue restrictions on women and minorities.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
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While Tony coddles his own bruised ego, there is clearly a greater reason for the cruel hijinks, which comes in the form of some significant cash.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Surrounded by vicious and violent hitmen that have been pressed into service as childcare, Juan Pablo must reckon with his father's crumbling power and find his own way in the world after his death.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
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This vicious cycle increases until the energy is released essentially in an explosion.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The settlement resolves a 2023 lawsuit in which Flynn sought at least $50 million and asserted that the criminal case against him amounted to a malicious prosecution.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
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The most dire real-life cyberattacks on hospitals involve ransomware, a class of malicious software that encrypts data and locks down computers and networks, demanding significant amounts of cash for the promise of relief.—
Jeffrey Tully,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Why would the Sun Sentinel print opinions clearly based on nothing but hateful personal feelings?—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
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In it, Theroux meets a family at the heart of the Westboro Baptist Church – a virulently homophobic group known for its hateful protests.—
Irenie Forshaw,
TheWeek,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The 45th president’s victory in the crowded 2016 primary effectively toppled the existing Republican Establishment, injecting the party with a combination of populism and distrust that was especially hostile to the way things were done before.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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Customers will keep fighting back with dirty returns, unused reservations and hostile reviews.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Hole, Oleg and Martin Aminov (Simon J Berger), a petty gun smuggler mistakenly accused of being the serial killer, wind up in a stationary elevator stuck between two floors with an armed Waaler reaching in to grab Oleg’s hair.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
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The show will focus on the disappearance of petty criminal El Nani (aka Santiago Correla).—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vengeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vengeful. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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