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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vindictive
Biden filed four motions to dismiss, including by arguing his case was based on selective and vindictive prosecution, and judges rejected all of them.
—
Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
But will the Republican-majority Congress push back against the leader of their party, especially when Mr. Trump has shown a vindictive streak against those who show disloyalty?
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Feb. 2025
Hollywood’s corridors of power are uniquely vulnerable to blowback from a notoriously vindictive president (who in 2018 lobbied the postmaster general to double postal rates for Amazon shipments to retaliate against Jeff Bezos for critical coverage in the Washington Post).
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
Special counsel David Weiss defends charges against Hunter Biden
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, previously blasted the special counsel for selective and vindictive prosecution, arguing the gun and tax charges Hunter faced are rarely pursued.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
But will the Republican-majority Congress push back against the leader of their party, especially when Mr. Trump has shown a vindictive streak against those who show disloyalty?
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Feb. 2025
Hollywood’s corridors of power are uniquely vulnerable to blowback from a notoriously vindictive president (who in 2018 lobbied the postmaster general to double postal rates for Amazon shipments to retaliate against Jeff Bezos for critical coverage in the Washington Post).
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
Special counsel David Weiss defends charges against Hunter Biden
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, previously blasted the special counsel for selective and vindictive prosecution, arguing the gun and tax charges Hunter faced are rarely pursued.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vindictive
Adjective
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What's particularly cruel about that reality is that after years of dealing with questions about his weight, the former Duke Blue Devil star played a career-high 70 games in 2023-24.—
Bobby Krivitsky,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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Here, Munir may be vaccinating chickens rather than grabbing them on their way to slaughter, but the work is just as thankless and cruel.—
Bartolomeo Sala,
The Dial,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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There is evidence of motivated malicious actors abusing the 'verified account' to deceive users.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
4 Apr. 2025
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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
Adjective
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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
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Sweeney Todd is a vengeful barber who will do anything to quench his thirst for revenge.—
Josie Boyer,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Softened by pride, Amber slinks away herself, albeit much more cutely than Gregory and accompanied by a vicious side-eye.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
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The Kansas City Glory’s season opener was set to begin on Saturday afternoon, but viral sensation Elena Easley was sitting on the field, experiencing a vicious headache.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Eventually, this revengeful streak will result in loneliness and isolation.—
Nicole Froio,
refinery29.com,
29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Maryland’s Salvadoran community relives surge in hateful rhetoric When a wave of Salvadorans first migrated to Maryland, there was a stereotype that they were affiliated with gangs like MS-13, Perez said.—
Polo Sandoval,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2025
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Utah has become a hateful place, guest columnist ML Cavanaugh writes.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Home to one of the world’s largest refugee populations – most of them from Afghanistan – Pakistan has not always welcomed the foreigners, subjecting them to hostile living conditions and threatening deportation over the years.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
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Andreas typically waits until there have been three instances of potential hostile communication before asking her friend or colleague if everything is OK.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Mixed in with small pleasures and petty disputes with her older sister are true feats of survival and bravery.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
22 Mar. 2025
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Gangs stop petty thievery in their own neighborhoods.—
Walter E Block,
Orange County Register,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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