Meaning & use
vengeful
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Wanting to hurt someone in return for harm you believe they caused you.
Grammar: Describes people or moods: a vengeful rival.
Patterns
- feel vengeful toward someone
The vengeful king punished the whole town.
She felt vengeful after the betrayal.
He wrote a vengeful letter.
adjectivebefore a noun
Showing or expressing a wish for revenge, of a look, act, or character.
Grammar: Before a noun: a vengeful glare.
Patterns
- a vengeful look
He gave a vengeful glare.
The ghost in the story was vengeful.
Her vengeful tone scared everyone.
Word forms
| comparative | more vengeful |
|---|---|
| superlative | most vengeful |
Common combinations
- vengeful spirit
- The legend tells of a vengeful spirit.
- vengeful god
- The ancient tale has a vengeful god.
- feel vengeful
- I felt vengeful but let it go.
- vengeful look
- He gave her a vengeful look.
- grow vengeful
- After years of insults he grew vengeful.
Synonyms and how they differ
- vindictive
- Vindictive suggests petty, spiteful behavior, and often sounds harsher than vengeful.
- revengeful
- Revengeful means the same but is less common.
- spiteful
- Spiteful is about wanting to hurt even without a past wrong.
- unforgiving
- Unforgiving only says someone will not pardon, with no promise of harming back.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: vengeful or avenge/revenge?
vengeful vs avenge/revenge
Avenge is a verb done for justice, while revenge is a noun, often personal.
Practice
After the insult, the ____ prince plotted to destroy his rival.
Choose one answer.
Vengeful fits someone plotting revenge. The other adjectives do not suit destroying a rival.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vengeful”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.