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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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
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Michael, in a filmed conversation with Grace, claimed that his ex-wife had manipulated him and was cruel to Natalia.—
Fortesa Latifi,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2025
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In Season 2, a cruel winter brings new challenges and unfinished business to Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara (Helen Mirren) back at Dutton ranch.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious apps is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
11 Mar. 2025
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Fraudsters are increasingly using generative AI to write convincing phishing emails, improve deepfakes, and draft new forms of malicious code — making scams harder to detect.—
Sam Sabin,
Axios,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Contrary to what many people believe, pit bulls don't naturally have a bad temperament, are not inherently vicious, and are not more dangerous than other dogs.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
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At age 55, the director of the vicious South Korean social satire Parasite specializes in adolescent appeal.—
Armond White,
National Review,
12 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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Except for then-Council member Dan Kalb, who suggested some remarks were crazy, not one council member rose to condemn these hateful falsehoods.—
Mark Cohen,
The Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2025
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That a little rectangle of cardboard and paper and ink is no match for all the hateful rhetoric about books somehow hurting children.—
Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman,
TIME,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Amid the ongoing negotiations over a potential peace deal between Ukraine and Russia amid their ongoing war, Trump has spoken favorably of Putin while having a sometimes openly hostile relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
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Bill Belichick's 24-year-old cheerleader girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, posted a screenshot of a hostile exchange with an Instagram user who criticized the couple's relationship Friday.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That sketch, coming just before the episode’s closing performance by Cypress Hill, was the hour’s peak, containing all the promise of petty obsessions afforded airtime in a chorus of besuited actors shouting a monologue as one.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2025
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This isn’t to say the vigilante trans group in the new world is free of petty catfights.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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