VENGEFUL Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

vengeful

adjective

ˈvenj-fəl

Definition of vengeful

as in vindictive

likely to seek revenge a vengeful person never lets go of a grudge

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 vengeful When her beloved dog Krypto is poisoned, Kara teams with a vengeful teen (Eve Ridley) and a rambunctious bounty hunter (Jason Momoa) to hunt down the vicious outlaw responsible. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 In her latest book, Stay Buried, siblings new to a remote Vermont town discover that the locals live in fear of a vengeful spirit. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 2 Sep. 2026 Now people on both sides of the border will pay for a senseless trade war instigated by a petulant and vengeful president. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026 Here was a candidate who got shot—as Roosevelt was, in 1912, by a man who’d been instructed to do so in a dream by the vengeful ghost of William McKinley—and kept on campaigning. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vengeful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vengeful

Adjective

In a filing explaining their position in August, prosecutors said that while mistakes were made, corrective measures have since been taken and there is no evidence of vindictive prosecution that would warrant further hearings or sanctions.

— Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
His character Rupert, Rebecca’s vindictive and philandering former husband who lost Richmond to her in the divorce, was the original three-season installment’s main antagonist.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of vindictive

Adjective

In response to legislation to end the cruelty once and for all, the Daily News once again trotted out its old and tired defense of this cruel, deadly and outdated industry.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Policing cringe is the cruelest métier of the internet—the origin of harassment campaigns and platforming of contempt.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

So too, the possibility of Rollerball-style carnage carnivals where robots compete in vicious cage matches until only one android is still moving.

— Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Cash reserves totaling $ 7,450,869 are being used to eviscerate his opponent with a vicious barrage of ad hominem assaults, thus giving him a 61 to 1 spending edge.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Moreover, the perpetrators do not appear to have used malicious code on the fridge controllers, potentially complicating efforts to track down who carried out the cyberattack, added Aimé.

— Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
The best way to protect yourself from malicious links that install malware and potentially access your private information is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of malicious

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

That night, Lee goes to Ginger’s house to tell her what happened — about his hostile showdown with the rupidoop, about Brawny Dude With the Butter Candies checking out Lee’s van in the Boontill parking lot.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
The trip to Leeds is another daunting assignment for United in what is usually a hostile atmosphere.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 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

venged

vengeful

vengefulness

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Vengeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vengeful. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of vengeful

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'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'?

Popular in Wordplay

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

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes