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
Not in a vindictive way at all, but just in a sense of, like, fuel to my fire.
—
Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
Woodward conceded to Cannon that there was insufficient evidence to dismiss the indictment on grounds of vindictive prosecution.
—Eric Tucker, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2024
And if one of the two people who could be president is both vindictive and susceptible to flattery — and in charge of appointing people who decide how to spend billions in federal contracts — why not butter him up a little bit?
—Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 31 Oct. 2024
The Greek gods are famous for their uncontrollable lust, and amusingly petty, vindictive punishments inflicted on those unfortunate enough to insult them.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
Woodward conceded to Cannon that there was insufficient evidence to dismiss the indictment on grounds of vindictive prosecution.
—Eric Tucker, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2024
And if one of the two people who could be president is both vindictive and susceptible to flattery — and in charge of appointing people who decide how to spend billions in federal contracts — why not butter him up a little bit?
—Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 31 Oct. 2024
The Greek gods are famous for their uncontrollable lust, and amusingly petty, vindictive punishments inflicted on those unfortunate enough to insult them.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vindictive
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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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
15 Feb. 2025
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Maloof is suing the city of Palm Bay, the Palm Bay Police Department and the officer on claims including malicious prosecution and false arrest.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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With a large bounty on their heads, and the vengeful Shadow Force hot on their trail, one family’s fight becomes all-out war.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
21 Feb. 2025
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For his efforts, he’s captured by the vengeful Yellowjackets.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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By the time Hezbollah launched its bombardment of Israel in solidarity with Hamas' vicious attack on Israel, the militant Lebanese organization had managed to build a significant military capability under the nose of UNFIL and was more robust than ever before.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
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Nashville's Bad Idea is a wine bar and restaurant set in a former Presbyterian church that fell into disrepair after a vicious tornado.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
13 Feb. 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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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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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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