as in nemeses
one who inflicts punishment in return for an injury or offense
the danger of these self-appointed vigilantes is that they sometimes go after innocent people
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Recent Examples of vigilantes
Similarly, France’s government faces a confidence vote on Monday after bond vigilantes sent French yields higher on expectations for more gridlock and no progress on reining in deficits.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
The Boys, a satirical drama about vigilantes who set out to take down corrupt superheroes, is gearing up for the release of its fifth and final season, expected sometime in 2026 on Prime Video.
—EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
The Boys, a satirical drama about vigilantes who set out to take down corrupt superheroes, is gearing up for the release of its fifth and final season, expected sometime in 2026 on Prime Video.
—EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vigilantes
nemeses
Noun
-
The Nevermore kids soon encounter their ideal nemeses in a troop of normie paramilitary Boy Scout types who’ve reserved the camp for the same days.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vigilantes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vigilantes. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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