vengeance
noun
Synonyms
Examples of vengeance in a Sentence
P. D. James, The Private Patient, 2008
Unlike the type of cannibalism much of the world had come to know—among desperate explorers, marooned sailors, and victims of famine—the Cinta Larga's consumption of human flesh was born not out of necessity but out of vengeance and an adherence to tribal traditions and ceremony.
—Candice Millard, The River of Doubt, 2005
As it turns out, police crackdowns in the 1990's did not so much destroy Los Angeles street gangs as temporarily displace them to Central America. Soon they returned with a vengeance; gang-related homicide rose 50 percent between 1999 and 2002.
—Richard Brookhiser, New York Times Book Review, 9 Jan. 2005
He is trying to do in his corner of Texas what death-penalty opponents say is impossible: enforce capital punishment flawlessly, ensuring that the innocent never spend a day on death row and the guilty are sent there only after trials free of bias and vengeance.
—John Cloud, Time, 14 July 2003
A holy war may be launched to root out terrorism, but its form must be a punitive crusade, an angry god's vengeance exacted upon sinners, since no proper war can exist when there is no recognition of the other's list of grievances, no awareness of the relentless dynamic binding the powerful and powerless.
—John Edgar Wideman, Harper's, March 2002
The fire was set as an act of vengeance.
Angry protesters wanted to inflict vengeance on the killer.
Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024
Plagued by suppressed rage and intense trauma, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the corrupt elite class of Mumbai and unleash a campaign of vengeance for the murder of his mother years prior.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for vengeance 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vengeance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English vengeaunce, borrowed from Anglo-French, from venger "to exact satisfaction for" (going back to Latin vindicāre "to lay claim to, exact retribution for") + -aunce -ance — more at vindicate
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing vengeance
Dictionary Entries Near vengeance
Cite this Entry
“Vengeance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vengeance. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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vengeance
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on vengeance
Nglish: Translation of vengeance for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of vengeance for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vengeance
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