as in cruel
likely to seek revenge
be careful not to annoy the vindictive old woman who lives down the street
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Recent Examples of vindictive
Defendants face a high bar for successfully proving a prosecution is vindictive.
—
Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Both men have a penchant for self-dramatization, are easily insulted and vindictive, and seem absent the gene for humility.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Stalcup says that after the data was stolen, it was doctored and shared by the former employee, who was vindictive about being fired for cause.
—Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 16 Feb. 2026
Heathcliff is surly, cruel, and vindictive.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Both men have a penchant for self-dramatization, are easily insulted and vindictive, and seem absent the gene for humility.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Stalcup says that after the data was stolen, it was doctored and shared by the former employee, who was vindictive about being fired for cause.
—Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 16 Feb. 2026
Heathcliff is surly, cruel, and vindictive.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vindictive
Adjective
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Dahl’s books are fanciful and imaginative, but also dark, cynical, and mean (and, unfortunately, often reflected his real-life ugliness), spinning stories in which gruesome and unpleasant fates befell rotten kids, and adults were frequently selfish, cruel, and not to be trusted.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Violating that trust is both cruel and unlawful.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The lawsuit claims 10 violations of state and federal law, including retaliation, unlawful arrest, unlawful seizure, malicious prosecution and conspiracy and seeks an unspecified amount of money for damages.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 2026
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This, proponents said, would flag cases where parents might be removing children from school for malicious reasons while sparing those who have done nothing wrong.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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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
Adjective
-
The wereboar growled next to Black Pudding, a hulking vicious monster, both focused on ripping Puck and Cordelia to shreds.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The childishness of his expressions infantilized a genuinely vicious regime, painting it as more peevish than petrifying.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
-
While Kirk was praised by conservatives as a champion of free speech, he was also criticized for comments that many other Americans found hateful toward LGBTQ+ communities, non-Christians, people of color and women.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Sheikali's case In March 2025, Sheikali's phone flooded with hateful messages.—
Mikayla Price,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Our city workers have consistently risen above the vitriol and accusations of hostile political leaders to do the jobs that our residents expect.—
Venus Molina,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
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While Kirk may have received hostile or threatening messages, including on social media, those were not part of any identified or actionable threat stream monitored by federal authorities, the person told Sganga.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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For power users, this sort of thing can’t help but read as needling, even petty platform quirks.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
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Season 1 was a full-on sensation, powered by Steven Yeun and Ali Wong's performances as Danny and Amy, two strangers whose petty clash on the road snowballs into a vicious feud.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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