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

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 Family blames cousin’s conviction on a vindictive ex, but the letter writer’s history with him suggests a different story. — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2026 Instead, the former football receiver claimed that the suspension was the result of vindictive parents with complaints about their kids’ playing time. — Molly Hensley-Clancy, ProPublica, 20 Aug. 2026 The filing was one of several Tuesday in response to a filing by Comey's lawyers seeking to dismiss the indictment against him on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution. — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026 Circe the feminist But this version of Circe – angry, vindictive and, yes, witchy – didn’t appear out of thin air. — Bailey Sincox, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 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 offbeat, cruel cadence of the bit reminded me of classic Update Norm Macdonald.
    — Charu Sinha, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The misery of the situation could feel overwhelming, even cruel, but Cahyono’s observation of Sumiati’s struggles is humane and sympathetic.
    — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • Strong antivirus software can help protect against malicious links, phishing sites and malware that may appear alongside these scams.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Tech companies are playing whack-a-mole around the world as their models get up to more hijinks and are used for malicious purposes.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • The story follows a celebrated pediatric heart surgeon whose daughter falls prey to a vengeful ghost.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • None of these companies want to incur the wrath of this very vengeful president.
    — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of vengeful
Adjective
  • On a blistering surprise EP, Deafheaven find the vicious attack and grandiose drama of symphonic black metal perfectly suited to their purposes.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Lynch was on the outside trying to gather herself after the vicious table slam.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 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
  • Ossoff went a step further, accusing Collins himself of amplifying hateful content and saying that his former congressional aide had intervened on behalf of a Holocaust denier.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Online trolls posting hateful comments on social media don't establish how the crowd at Gainbridge behaves.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hateful
Adjective
  • Still, her willingness to enjoy a hostile road crowd offers a useful perspective in a league where interactions with spectators have become such a consuming subject.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said the approval didn’t include hostile actions that go against international law.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hostile
Adjective
  • Blacks in the South were routinely imprisoned on petty or trumped-up charges, then leased out to landowners, mining companies, railroads and factories as unpaid labor.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, out on the streets, young con artist Thomas Shepherd (Ruaridh Mollica) and pickpocket Lisa Molinari (Lauren Morais) are running petty scams.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of petty

Browse Nearby Words

vindicators
vindictive
vindictively
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All