vengeance

[ ven-juhns ]
See synonyms for vengeance on Thesaurus.com
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?

  2. an act or opportunity of inflicting such trouble: to take one's vengeance.

  1. the desire for revenge: a man full of vengeance.

  2. Obsolete. hurt; injury.

  3. Obsolete. curse; imprecation.

Idioms about vengeance

  1. with a vengeance,

    • with force or violence.

    • greatly; extremely.

    • to an unreasonable, excessive, or surprising degree: He attacked the job with a vengeance.

Origin of vengeance

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French; equivalent to venge + -ance

synonym study For vengeance

1. See revenge.

Other words for vengeance

Opposites for vengeance

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use vengeance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vengeance

vengeance

/ (ˈvɛndʒəns) /


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

  2. with a vengeance (intensifier): the 70's have returned with a vengeance

Origin of vengeance

1
C13: from Old French, from venger to avenge, from Latin vindicāre to punish; see vindicate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with vengeance

vengeance

see with a vengeance.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.