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
With customer demand drying up for luxury EVs, and federal incentives getting axed by vengeful Republicans, Mercedes put its first-generation EVs on ice.
—
Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Apr. 2026
Practically all the public’s attention has been on the president and his oddball or vengeful or unprincipled actions.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Alana Haim, as a maid of honor turned vengeful by Emma’s news, is both funny and scarily intense; her toast at the wedding is a small master class in how to say one thing and mean something else entirely.
—Moira MacDonald, Twin Cities, 4 Apr. 2026
She’s also consumed by vengeful rage, much of it directed at the unstable assassin Bullseye (Wilson Bethel).
—Bob Strauss, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Apr. 2026
Practically all the public’s attention has been on the president and his oddball or vengeful or unprincipled actions.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Alana Haim, as a maid of honor turned vengeful by Emma’s news, is both funny and scarily intense; her toast at the wedding is a small master class in how to say one thing and mean something else entirely.
—Moira MacDonald, Twin Cities, 4 Apr. 2026
She’s also consumed by vengeful rage, much of it directed at the unstable assassin Bullseye (Wilson Bethel).
—Bob Strauss, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vengeful
Adjective
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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
-
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
-
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
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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
-
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
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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
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An investigation is underway into hateful graffiti in a Long Island neighborhood.—
Jenna DeAngelis,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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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
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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
“Vengeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vengeful. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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