avenging 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of avengingnext
as in vengeful

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

avenging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of avenge
as in revenging
to punish in kind the wrongdoer responsible for a play about a prince who struggles to avenge his father's death

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 avenging
Adjective
Toss in his portly stature and Hoskins was a perfect choice for the heroic plumber Mario, the avenging angel who stomps through worlds of evil turtles and living mushrooms, even if the actor was neither Italian nor American. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 May 2018 Iron Man and his avenging friends are onto Phase 3 now.) — David Greenwald, OregonLive.com, 13 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avenging
  1. vengeful
  2. vindictive
  3. punishing
  4. revengeful
  5. malevolent
  6. malicious
Adjective
  • Both of these relationships played integral roles in giving David the permission and the confidence to bravely step up to battle the vengeful 11-foot-tall giant.
    — Jim Halterman, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Sweeney Todd is a vengeful barber who will do anything to quench his thirst for revenge.
    — Josie Boyer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2025
Definition of vengeful
Adjective
  • Either way, funding hydrogen in red states and not blue ones would be vindictive and un-American.
    — Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025
  • However, not enough focus has been placed on the real actor behind this vindictive act: Trump.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of vindictive
Verb
  • But punishing that behavior means bringing the hammer down on Vietnam, hardly a step that would win Washington strategic support in Hanoi, where a new leadership dominated by public security and military officials actually sees eye to eye with China in some areas.
    — Evan A. Feigenbaum, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
  • In an interview with The Athletic last month, Diggins described the feeling of finishing one of the most punishing endurance tests in all of sports.
    — Zack Pierce, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Definition of punishing
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
Definition of revengeful
Adjective
  • Legacy ended with Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) from the original film, preventing the digital world from bleeding into the real world, as planned by the Grid's malevolent ruling program, Clu.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 Apr. 2025
  • The reality is that there are malevolent elites who exist—individuals who seek to consolidate their power and wealth by dismantling the state, the very system of laws and accountability that once kept them in check.
    — Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
Definition of malevolent
Adjective
  • Jose Velasquez-Martinez, 27, is charged with malicious wounding and murder in connection with 29-year-old Brandon Probst's death in Warrenton, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office.
    — Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • There is evidence of motivated malicious actors abusing the 'verified account' to deceive users.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of malicious

Browse Nearby Words

avenges
avenging
avenue
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Avenging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avenging. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on avenging

Nglish: Translation of avenging for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular

See More

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a game of hangman on lined paper
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All