as in cruel
likely to seek revenge
be careful not to annoy the vindictive old woman who lives down the street
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Others have criticized the White House for taking a vindictive approach and targeting Democratic states that may have larger Medicaid populations and more lenient eligibility requirements.
—
Editorial, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
But his legal team teed up at least one argument expected to be invoked, with defense lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald saying attorneys would argue that the prosecution is vindictive and selective and would ask prosecutors to save communications relevant for that motion.
—Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
But his legal team teed up at least one argument expected to be invoked, with defense lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald saying the defense intended to argue that the prosecution is vindictive and selective and would ask prosecutors to save communications that might be relevant for that motion.
—Michael Kunzelman, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Editorial, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
But his legal team teed up at least one argument expected to be invoked, with defense lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald saying attorneys would argue that the prosecution is vindictive and selective and would ask prosecutors to save communications relevant for that motion.
—Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
But his legal team teed up at least one argument expected to be invoked, with defense lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald saying the defense intended to argue that the prosecution is vindictive and selective and would ask prosecutors to save communications that might be relevant for that motion.
—Michael Kunzelman, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vindictive
Adjective
-
Electronic bugs are installed, secretaries listen in on every phone call and conversation, and rock 'n roll is banned in this cruel culture of absolute secrecy.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
-
The slaughter of Australian infantry at the hands of Turkish guns on the coastal region of Gallipoli has become emblematic of the pointless loss of life during this cruel conflict.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
The core challenge of adapting systems of trust to the agentic economy is distinguishing legitimate from malicious automation without harming the user experience.—
Andrew Sever,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
The addition was a prompt injection, a form of AI attack that exploits an LLM’s inability to distinguish between legitimate user prompts and those from unauthorized, potentially malicious third parties.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The series had a lot to say about a lot of things (including vengeful power brokers/network executives) that feel particularly pointed now.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
More significantly, the vengeful president waged economic war against Colorado.—
Mark Barabak,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Her vicious block on Clark with seven minutes left nearly lifted the roof off the place.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
Other cast members spoke on rising to new challenges in Season 2, including Paulina Chavez, whose character Ariana Medina survived a vicious assault in the penultimate episode.—
Kai Naima Williams,
Variety,
27 May 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
-
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
-
Once, an Iowa State Cyclones fan account posted a picture of Crooks at the state fair with a steer, and the onslaught of hateful comments that followed was too much; the picture disappeared.—
Lyz Lenz,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2026
-
This last sneak peek serves up heaps of colorful heroic set pieces as He-Man recruits a fearsome force to storm Castle Greyskull and reclaim the throne from his hateful nemesis.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
That means unlocking our vast energy resources, expanding production, building pipelines, approving infrastructure and increasing exports to allies who need reliable alternatives to hostile regimes.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
The one major exception is agriculture — and that policy has historical roots dating back to World War II, when the Swiss learned the hard way that food security matters for small countries surrounded by hostile powers.—
Richard W. Rahn,
Fortune,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
For Lili in her darkest hour to summon a little petty annoyance over the wrong milk substitute for her coffee is a satirical grace note in an episode conspicuously short on laughs.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
24 May 2026
-
Macron’s highest aspirations to, as a modern Talleyrand, inject himself and solve global issues such as Ukraine, Africa’s Sahel, Syria, Lebanon, or Iran have fallen short, degenerated into petty feuds, or backfired.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
