as in nemesis
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 vigilante
Instead of a sense of outrage leading to a search for a better solution for repeat violent offenders, her death generated calls for collective retribution and vigilante justice.
—
Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Experts have warned that hypertoxic and violent language can sometimes influence people offline, including by encouraging acts of vigilante violence against those seen as disloyal, although there have been no reports of further violence since Kirk’s killing.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
Skarsgard plays his real-life vigilante as both righteous and naïve, angry at the corporate greed that has helped wreck his life but almost childlike in his devotion to the radio host (Colman Domingo) who could help get his message out.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2025
Armed with clubs and pistols, vigilantes went door to door, herding more than three hundred men, women, and children through the streets and out of town.
—Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vigilante
Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Experts have warned that hypertoxic and violent language can sometimes influence people offline, including by encouraging acts of vigilante violence against those seen as disloyal, although there have been no reports of further violence since Kirk’s killing.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
Skarsgard plays his real-life vigilante as both righteous and naïve, angry at the corporate greed that has helped wreck his life but almost childlike in his devotion to the radio host (Colman Domingo) who could help get his message out.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2025
Armed with clubs and pistols, vigilantes went door to door, herding more than three hundred men, women, and children through the streets and out of town.
—Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vigilante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vigilante
Noun
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The Reds have won five out of five across all competitions so far this season and host nemesis Everton, having once again come up with the goods in dramatic fashion against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
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End Game sees Warwick once again up against nemesis Miles Faulkner and his crooked lawyer Booth Watson.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Mangione's image has been merged into memes with Nintendo's Luigi, portraying him as a vigilante avenger of systemic injustice.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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An important, if subtle, difference between Meiko Kaji and Pam Grier as action stars is that, where Kaji is an avenger, Grier is a protector.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Montgomery has barely been in the big leagues for two months but has already put his name alongside a couple of franchise icons (and another hard-core punisher of baseballs).—
Phil Rogers,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vigilante.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vigilante. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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