as in cruel
likely to seek revenge
be careful not to annoy the vindictive old woman who lives down the street
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 vindictive
Although perceived as a vindictive album, Reputation is also a sentimental one, with its fair share of love songs.
—
Lolita Mang, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Lolita Mang, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vindictive
Adjective
-
As mere surrogates, the Trump-DeSantis fight to outdo each other through mean and cruel policies will go on.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Immigration advocates call the crackdown cruel and wrongheaded and warn that many Latino U.S. citizens will likely suffer violations of their civil rights and possibly even get mistakenly deported.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
As the technology behind deepfakes advances, the need to fight their malicious usage has never been greater.—
Rohan Pinto,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
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
-
On top of having been popularized in its current incarnation through a Harry Potter fanfic, the belief system abounds with fantastical thought experiments, like Roko’s Basilisk — in which a vengeful future AI punishes those who did not help to create it.—
Aja Romano,
Vox,
24 Feb. 2025
-
After beginning her acting career in the 1950s with appearances on a few anthology series, Hirson joined ABC’s daytime serial The Edge of Night in the series regular role of the vengeful and sometimes murderous Stephanie Martin.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Eventually, this revengeful streak will result in loneliness and isolation.—
Nicole Froio,
refinery29.com,
29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Mayo tweeted four different screenshots appearing to come from his Instagram direct messages, all expressing hateful words at the transfer guard, following the Jayhawks’ 78-73 defeat to Texas Tech.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
2 Mar. 2025
-
The students were protesting the expulsion of two students who stormed a Columbia University classroom in January and allegedly threw around flyers filled with hateful speech.—
Stepheny Price,
Fox News,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The set-up has grown increasingly hostile over time, and became an impassible roadblock when the Lerner family tried to sell the Nationals back in 2022.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Prince overcame the hostile environment and kept TCU afloat during the first quarter when the Horned Frogs struggled to find their footing offensively.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But being able to distinguish when things are challenging versus straight-up unhealthy can keep you from spiraling into petty drama and sneaky backstabbing.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
3 Mar. 2025
-
On the page, Serafina is an archetypical Williams heroine — a woman who feels the world too deeply and is therefore brutalized by its harsh truths and petty cruelties (e.g. Maggie the Cat, Blanche DuBois, Amanda Wingfield).—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share