vengeance

[ven-juhns]

noun

1. infliction of injury, harm, humiliation, or the like, on a person by another who has been harmed by that person; violent revenge.

   But have you the right to vengeance?

   Synonyms: retaliation, requital
   Antonyms: forgiveness

2. an act or opportunity of inflicting such trouble.

   to take one's vengeance.

3. the desire for revenge.

   a man full of vengeance.

4. Obsolete.,  hurt; injury.

5. Obsolete.,  curse; imprecation.

vengeance

/ ˈvɛndʒəns /

noun

1. the act of or desire for taking revenge; retributive punishment

2. (intensifier)

   the 70's have returned with a vengeance

Word History and Origins

Origin of vengeance¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French; equivalent to venge + -ance

Word History and Origins

Origin of vengeance¹

C13: from Old French, from venger to avenge, from Latin vindicāre to punish; see _vindicate

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. with a vengeance,

   1. with force or violence.

   2. greatly; extremely.

   3. to an unreasonable, excessive, or surprising degree.

      He attacked the job with a vengeance.

see with a vengeance.

Synonym Study

See revenge.

Example Sentences

His politics of vengeance and his desire to be the country’s first dictator are antithetical to his goal of getting into heaven.

From Salon

After three hours of superhuman justice, humour, romance, and vengeance, cinemas are littered with popcorn like confetti, and fans spill into the streets, whooping with cathartic delight.

From BBC

"You have a huge constituency of people in Bangladesh who wanted to see not just accountability but vengeance and retribution," says David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher.

From BBC

But a series of bizarre, vaguely threatening incidents seems to follow Yoshii, a patten that eventually reveals itself in the film’s second hour as a coordinated campaign to exact righteous vengeance on an online scammer.

From Los Angeles Times

“Crazy Mama,” about a housewife intent on exacting vengeance on the men who murdered her husband, highlighted Demme’s desire to recognize women’s ongoing struggles against a patriarchal world.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• reprisal 
• retribution 
• revenge 

When To Use

What does vengeance mean?

Vengeance is a desire for revenge—retaliation against or punishment of someone for some kind of harm that they caused or wrongdoing that they did (whether real or perceived).It can also be used as an even more intense synonym for revenge.Vengeance often involves deep anger and a perhaps obsessive desire to get even by inflicting similar harm to the person who initially harmed the person seeking revenge. When it means the same thing as revenge, vengeance is often planned out over a period of time.The related adjective vengeful is used to describe someone who is determined to seek vengeance or someone who is inclined to seek vengeance—someone who is vindictive.The phrase with a vengeance means with great violence or intensity, as in My allergies have come back with a vengeance—I’ve been sneezing all day. Example: The vengeance in your heart will eat away at you, which is like letting your enemy defeat you yet again.