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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for vindictive
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
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
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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These methods can easily miss deeper behavioral indicators that would signal a malicious payload lurking beneath the surface.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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The best way to safeguard against malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The violence is compounded by a redundant frenzy of crosscutting, double-underlining the difference between Frank, a man of domestic leisure, and Vito, a jealous and vengeful killer.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2025
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Then came the big reveal — Maddie isn’t actually dead, her body was merely hijacked by a vengeful spirit named Janet (Jess Gabor)!—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This creates a vicious cycle: more applications lead to lower acceptance rates, triggering even more applications from worried students.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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However, some people develop unhelpful habits and ways of thinking about sleep that create a vicious cycle, said Krieger, who is also director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN,
19 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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Beauvais’ comments about fan support are likely in reference to the support she’s received when clashing with her castmates, as well as in season 12, when her teenage son experienced hateful online backlash.—
Jackie Strause,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Mar. 2025
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This group includes canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice bran, soybean, safflower, and sunflower oils. Skepticism of the hateful eight stems from the production process of many seed oils, which uses mechanical or chemical treatment.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Gangs stop petty thievery in their own neighborhoods.—
Walter E Block,
Orange County Register,
22 Mar. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Vindictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindictive. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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