vindictive

adjective

vin-ˈdik-tiv How to pronounce vindictive (audio)
Definition of vindictivenext
as in cruel
likely to seek revenge be careful not to annoy the vindictive old woman who lives down the street

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vindictive Harris has taken the religious patina of Alice Walker’s tale—most chiefly the Christian God, to whom Celie writes her heartsick journal entries after she is separated from her beloved sister, Nettie, by the monstrous Pa and the vindictive Mister—and dirties it, wisely. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 Unfortunately, most divorces are messy, especially when one party is vindictive. — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026 Act now — the fund expires before another president takes office — and get your just compensation for the acts of a vindictive government. — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 20 May 2026 Flanagan also directed Comey’s attorneys to file any motions to dismiss and other pretrial challenges by June 5, after defense lawyers previewed plans to argue the case amounts to a selective and vindictive prosecution. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vindictive
  1. cruel
  2. malicious
  3. vengeful
  4. vicious
  5. revengeful
  6. hateful
  7. hostile
  8. petty
Adjective
  • The heat has become so unbearable in Japan that weather officials in April announced a new term for days when maximum temperatures exceed 104 degrees — kokushobi, meaning harsh or cruel heat, according to the Japan Times.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the lack of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s cruelest consequences.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • Anthropic has reported banning accounts and tightening filters after detecting attempts to use Claude for phishing emails, malicious code and safeguard bypasses.
    — Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Rather than needing years of specialist knowledge, attackers can now use large language models to perform reconnaissance, identify weaknesses, write malicious code and map computer networks in ways that previously demanded significant expertise.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • In the absence of that administrative work and with little progress being made on the various biosafety laws that have been proposed in Congress, the nation has been left with just the vengeful spectacle of lab-leak prosecutions.
    — Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • Familial drama ensues as betrayal runs rampant and Casillas embarks on a vengeful crusade against his enemies to regain and avenge the death of his love interest.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of vengeful
Adjective
  • The early Cold War liberals had read their history books and seen how the French Revolution had begun with high progressive hopes but descended into a vicious bloodbath.
    — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • After a similarly vicious storm struck the New York area late Friday, hundreds of thousands of utility customers were left without power, trains to New Jersey were canceled and thousands of trees were damaged or uprooted.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of vicious
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
  • 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
Definition of revengeful
Adjective
  • Although Fang was charged in a single incident, authorities allege the defendant was responsible for a string of hateful messages found across the Northern California campus.
    — Seamus Bozeman, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • In that film’s story, Insiang (Hilda Koronel) metes out revenge against Dado (Ruel Vernal), her hateful mother’s lover, who rapes her after rejecting his advances.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of hateful
Adjective
  • Islamic extremism remains the biggest threat but over the past five years, threats from far-right groups and hostile states have significantly grown, said Laurence Taylor, head of counterterrorism police.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
  • Officials said the aircraft will strengthen surveillance over vast northern waters and improve Denmark’s ability to detect hostile submarines operating in the region.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 July 2026
Definition of hostile
Adjective
  • Less social cohesion A decade ago, crime was infrequent and petty.
    — Joseph J. Gonzalez, The Conversation, 9 July 2026
  • The general reaction to the policy has been overwhelmingly positive, Xue said, aside from some remarks on social media that charging for a smashed teacup was a petty move.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of petty

Browse Nearby Words

vindicators
vindictive
vindictively
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Cite this Entry

“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of vindictive for Spanish Speakers

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