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
The supernatural thriller sees a woman return from death as a vindictive spirit to torment her adulterous husband.
—
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 June 2025
There was speculation in and around the organization about whether the presence of the federal agents was a form of retaliation by a notoriously vindictive administration.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
But truth be told, Los Angeles isn’t the biggest California prize for a vindictive president obsessed with punishing his internal political foes.
—Max Taves, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
Two erratic, vindictive, spotlight-hungry billionaires convinced of their own greatness occupying the White House together?
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 June 2025
There was speculation in and around the organization about whether the presence of the federal agents was a form of retaliation by a notoriously vindictive administration.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
But truth be told, Los Angeles isn’t the biggest California prize for a vindictive president obsessed with punishing his internal political foes.
—Max Taves, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
Two erratic, vindictive, spotlight-hungry billionaires convinced of their own greatness occupying the White House together?
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vindictive
Adjective
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That is a particularly egregious example of how the Trump Administration has been gratuitously cruel to the Sudanese.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
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Stacy, Tim’s wife, also died of pancreatic cancer five months later in February of 2024, a cruel hand for a family that for years had gone above and beyond in their efforts to raise money and awareness for cancer research.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Accessing the code prompts recipients to provide personal and financial information, or can lead to downloading malicious software.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Victims are then defrauded again, with more money lost to these malicious recovery schemes.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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President Trump is, once again, testing the limits of his power, hoping to intimidate other cities into submission to his every vengeful whim by making the once unimaginable—an American tyrant ordering a military occupation of our own capital—a terrifying reality.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
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All that’s missing is a bloodthirsty, vengeful mob.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
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Nothing could possibly go wrong with all the vicious alien specimens on board, right?—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Fans hoping for a revengeful scoring outburst were left wanting a little more, however, as Dončić — a career 28.6 points per game scorer — added only 10 points over the final three quarters.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC News,
26 Feb. 2025
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Eventually, this revengeful streak will result in loneliness and isolation.—
Nicole Froio,
refinery29.com,
29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The nonprofit’s promotional ads were on social media including Facebook, where it was met with some explicitly hateful comments aimed at the LGBTQ community, Carolina Theatre spokesman Jared Misner said.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Aug. 2025
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They were targeted, hateful attempts to intimidate and silence members of our community.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In recent weeks, both have also moved military forces to the border near Assab and are engaging in escalating exchanges of hostile rhetoric.—
Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Aug. 2025
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Meanwhile, Trump has moved closer to Pakistan, with which India has hostile relations and the U.S. has historically had a complex and sometimes tense relationship, especially as Pakistan has grown closer to and is primarily armed by China.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And the conflict between the law-abiding brother and his petty thief sibling isn’t over a herd of cattle or gold mine but over a screenplay an agent promises will bring them fame and fortune.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Aug. 2025
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Weeks before the closing announcement, blame fell on the store’s lack of shopping carts, the closure of self-checkout lanes and a visible rise in shoplifting and petty crime.—
Gloria Ngwa,
Twin Cities,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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