vengeful

adjective

ˈvenj-fəl How to pronounce vengeful (audio)
Definition of vengefulnext
as in vindictive
likely to seek revenge a vengeful person never lets go of a grudge

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 The show finds ways to expose the worst in its characters, their pettiest, most vengeful, greediest parts. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 While trying to save one of Afton’s victims, a young girl named Charlotte dies and her vengeful spirit possesses Marionette, a creepy puppet animatronic. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026 Most of the other relationships in the movie are hopelessly corrupted or poisoned in some way, as Letty moves between an unloving mother and a vengeful former lover, and others whose closeness is a weapon to be feared. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 28 July 2026 Russia, already shock-therapied into unprecedented national calamity, was beginning to recoil from fervent Americanophilia into vengeful ultra-nationalism. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for vengeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vengeful
  1. vindictive
  2. revengeful
  3. cruel
  4. vicious
  5. malicious
  6. hateful
  7. hostile
  8. petty
Adjective
  • Even her decision to send Bernard out to clean feels more vindictive than logical.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of vindictive
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
  • Having Sheridan actually be a cruel person was one of the key audience expectations the writer-director hoped to flip in the pursuit of laughs.
    — William Earl, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But Triage does have a moment in which an ember of the old cruel optimism flickers.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • Detectives charged him with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon for the vicious attack that killed his mother, 57-year-old Josefa Soto de Guzman, on Friday.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Pace, skill, a vicious shot, the ability to make opposition defenders look like fools.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • That leaves a short window during which malicious activity can contaminate the prediction machinery again.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • An attacker can then register the site and plant malicious instructions on it.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • Grabs a ketchup bottle and garnishes his face, before squirting mustard into his hateful, piggish eyes.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Doukoure characterized Tuesday's rhetoric as hateful but said CAIR and members of the Muslim community have become accustomed to being targeted because of their advocacy.
    — Gino Vicci, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of hateful
Adjective
  • Forecasters said the system is expected to be short-lived because of hostile environmental conditions starting on Friday that will prevent it from developing further.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Electronic warfare systems such as NGJ-MB are carried by aircraft and use advanced electronics to interfere with or counter hostile electromagnetic systems.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of hostile
Adjective
  • Trump will depart sooner or later, the banners will be torn down and much of his petty talk will be and should be forgotten.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The players air their grievances, which are essentially a pile of petty conflicts and resentments that, as Alice warned, can be traced back to the team fracturing into cliques.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of petty

Browse Nearby Words

venged
vengeful
vengefulness
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Cite this Entry

“Vengeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vengeful. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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