vengeful

American  

[venj-fuhl] / ˈvɛndʒ fəl /

adjective

1. desiring or seeking vengeance; vindictive.

   a vengeful attitude.

   Synonyms:

   spiteful, revengeful

2. characterized by or showing a vindictive spirit.

   vengeful intentions.

3. serving to inflict vengeance.

   a vengeful killing.

---

vengeful British  

/ ˈvɛndʒfʊl /

adjective

1. desiring revenge; vindictive

2. characterized by or indicating a desire for revenge

   a vengeful glance

3. inflicting or taking revenge

   with vengeful blows

---

Usage

What does vengeful mean? Vengeful is used to describe someone who is determined to get revenge—retaliation against or punishment of someone for some kind of harm that they caused or wrongdoing that they did (whether real or perceived). Vengeful also means inclined to seek revenge. The adjective vindictive is a close synonym. A much less commonly used synonym is revengeful. Vengeful can be used to describe people or their actions or attitude. Revenge often involves an attempt to get even by inflicting similar harm to the person who initially harmed the person seeking revenge. Revenge has several other synonyms that each have different shades of meaning, including retribution, retaliation, and reprisal. But more than these words, revenge implies that such retaliation is personal and motivated by a deep anger and perhaps an obsessive desire to get even. This is often what it means when someone is described as vengeful. Example: Being vengeful does more damage to you than to the person you are intent on destroying.

Other Word Forms

• unvengeful
  adjective
• vengefully
  adverb
• vengefulness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of vengeful

First recorded in 1580–90; shortened form of revengeful

Explanation

Hope that there's no one out there who has vengeful feelings toward you, or wants to get back at you for something that you've done to them. A vengeful person is out for revenge. You might have noticed that the words vengeful and revenge look somewhat similar. That's because their meanings are. The word vengeful is used to describe the feelings of revenge someone has toward another person or group who has done them wrong in the past. Think about Hamlet or Ben-Hur — those dudes were certainly vengeful.

Example Sentences

In “Man on Fire,” the intense, angry and vengeful Creasy is protecting Poe from a multilayered criminal conspiracy in Rio de Janeiro and can’t seem to keep her in tow.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

But the protagonist of HBO’s new “Game of Thrones” spinoff, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”? Don’t expect vengeful wildfire or shouts of “Dracarys!”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

But they are facing threats from all sides: A vengeful president; a distracted and disengaged audience used to endless scrolling and pop-pop-pops of entertainment; the creeping unreality of A.I.

From Slate • Jan. 5, 2026

But it also cripples his sanity since the fire creates more vengeful spirits that only he can see.

From Salon • Dec. 8, 2025

He was a vengeful man, a hateful man.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Related Words

• antagonistic
• hostile
• vindictive