vendetta
Americannoun
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vendettas
plural
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a private feud in which the members of the family of a murdered person seek to avenge the murder by killing the slayer or one of the slayer's relatives, especially such vengeance as once practiced in Corsica and parts of Italy.
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any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention, or the like.
a political vendetta.
noun
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a private feud, originally between Corsican or Sicilian families, in which the relatives of a murdered person seek vengeance by killing the murderer or some member of his family
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any prolonged feud, quarrel, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of vendetta
First recorded in 1850–55; from Italian, from Latin vindicta “vengeance”; see vindictive
Explanation
A vendetta is blood feud, a quest for revenge. A vendetta might separate families for generations, with members of one family murdering those of the other, all to satisfy an ancient grudge. If a friend of yours breaks into your locker and fills it with crumpled up newspaper, you will not be able to hold your head up until you have carried out a vendetta. Perhaps you can tie his shoes together during French class without his noticing?
Vocabulary lists containing vendetta
100 SAT Words Beginning with "V"
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2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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Challenge, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Wu called the lawsuit a "machine reaction, not a personal vendetta".
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
"No member of parliament with me will use this institution for a personal vendetta", Sonko said, speaking in Wolof.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
A vendetta between the billionaire founders of Two Sigma Investments flared up last month, prompting a new leadership battle at their $70 billion hedge-fund firm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
Erik Charlotte VonSosen opens up about her designing process, drag culture’s influence on her work and her vendetta against Pinterest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
The colt spent three years plunging around the track in devil-possessed rages and nurturing a vendetta against the hapless assistant starters assigned to hold his head in the doorless starting gate.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Some believe this was a result of personal vendettas between the factions' leaders.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Some of his extracurricular fixations—personal vendettas, online foolery—could get less attention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
Financing statements — meant to record legitimate business liens — are now a vehicle for conspiracy-laced claims, trillion-dollar demands and vendettas against politicians, businesses and public employees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026
But there is a Venn diagram to his vendettas, an overlap in his circle of obsessions.
From Salon ● Nov. 10, 2025
The palace, inside and out, is a monument to the most famous of Corsican vendettas.
From Autobiography of Andrew Dickson White — Volume 2 by Andrew Dickson White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
