as in vindictive
likely to seek revenge
a vengeful person never lets go of a grudge
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Recent Examples of vengeful
Prisoners The film that put Dune and Arrival director Denis Villeneuve on the map explores the toxicity of retribution as a vengeful Hugh Jackman quests to find his child's kidnapper.
—
Matt Robison, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025
The film tracked Craig’s move to the suburbs to escape vengeful hood demon Deebo, serving as an example of how Black comedies on the big screen became snapshots of a time—with all their vernacular, bawdy cartoonish carnality, neck rolls, and flamboyant Blackness.
—Noel Ransome, Essence, 13 Feb. 2025
He’s thrown back into his assassin past when Rose, his vengeful former partner-in-crime, played by Ariana DeBose, re-emerges.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2025
They are ambushed by a vengeful crew and forced into bomb vests, compelled to commit a series of increasingly dangerous missions under threat of detonation.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Matt Robison, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025
The film tracked Craig’s move to the suburbs to escape vengeful hood demon Deebo, serving as an example of how Black comedies on the big screen became snapshots of a time—with all their vernacular, bawdy cartoonish carnality, neck rolls, and flamboyant Blackness.
—Noel Ransome, Essence, 13 Feb. 2025
He’s thrown back into his assassin past when Rose, his vengeful former partner-in-crime, played by Ariana DeBose, re-emerges.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2025
They are ambushed by a vengeful crew and forced into bomb vests, compelled to commit a series of increasingly dangerous missions under threat of detonation.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vengeful
Adjective
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But will the Republican-majority Congress push back against the leader of their party, especially when Mr. Trump has shown a vindictive streak against those who show disloyalty?—
Henry Gass,
The Christian Science Monitor,
7 Feb. 2025
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Hollywood’s corridors of power are uniquely vulnerable to blowback from a notoriously vindictive president (who in 2018 lobbied the postmaster general to double postal rates for Amazon shipments to retaliate against Jeff Bezos for critical coverage in the Washington Post).—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Eventually, this revengeful streak will result in loneliness and isolation.—
Nicole Froio,
refinery29.com,
29 Oct. 2024
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Artemis was revengeful toward anyone who trespassed in wild nature, and trespassing could mean neglect, like not paying your dues.—
Robert Sullivan,
Vogue,
20 June 2023
Adjective
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Even then, the final late twist with the penalty felt particularly cruel.—
Patrick Boyland,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
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Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, Still Alice highlights the cruel nature of the illness, where a person can still feel present while simultaneously losing pieces of themselves, creating a unique kind of grief.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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More than 80 women went public with horrific tales of his brutal, coercive and punishing tactics, including launching vicious, career-crippling smear campaigns against those who eluded him, from Mira Sorvino to Ashley Judd.—
Scott Huver,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Feb. 2025
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Rushdie has since spoken out about the stabbing Rushdie, 77, testified in the Chautauqua County, New York trial and detailed the vicious attack that upended his life.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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As the technology behind deepfakes advances, the need to fight their malicious usage has never been greater.—
Rohan Pinto,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Now, Microsoft has identified a resurfaced malware that has returned after years, equipped with new malicious capabilities, including stealing sensitive information such as digital wallets and data from the legitimate Notes app.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The two central characters, a mild bespectacled middle-school geek named Hal and his hateful abusive bully of a twin brother, Bill (both are played by Christian Convery), discover the monkey sealed away in a round box.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
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Indeed, Ye advertised his Yeezy website during the 2025 Super Bowl broadcast Sunday (Feb. 9), which aired amid a days-long storm of hateful tweets from the star targeting Jewish people.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In a notable thawing of tensions between Russia and the U.S., Trump even promised to visit Moscow, and said Putin would be welcome in Washington, D.C. The president has also become increasingly hostile toward Ukraine.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
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China’s relentless nuclear buildup, its hostile espionage operations, its militant rhetoric, and, above all, its support for Russia suggest that Xi has already made his call and that a confrontation with the United States is inevitable.—
Sergey Radchenko,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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With the wave of a hand—or, to be more precise, the tapping of a few overnight posts on social media—American political horizons are being remade in ways that are petty and absurd.—
Penny Abeywardena,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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The professor said the groups committed crimes, but their offenses were relatively petty by today’s standards: brawling and shakedowns of non-gang members for their bikes or lunch money.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vengeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vengeful. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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