vigilante

[vij-uh-lan-tee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vigilante ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a member of a vigilance committee.

any person who takes the law into his or her own hands, as by avenging a crime.

adjective

done violently and summarily, without recourse to lawful procedures: vigilante justice.

Origin of vigilante

1825–35, Americanism; < Spanish: vigilant

Related formsvig·i·lan·te·ism, vig·i·lan·tism

[vij-uh-lan-tiz-uh m, vij-uh-luh n-tiz-uh m] /ˌvɪdʒ əˈlæn tɪz əm, ˈvɪdʒ ə lənˌtɪz əm/, noun

Can be confusedvigilant vigilante

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vigilante

band, throng, multitude, crowd, superintendent, angel, chaperon, guard, sponsor, defender, sentinel, trustee, escort, nurse, shepherd, paladin, champion, supervisor, custodian, patrol

Examples from the Web for vigilante

Contemporary Examples of vigilante

The lawless law enforcement in eastern Ukraine exists somewhere between Soviet rule and vigilante justice.
The Corrupt Cops of Rebel-Held East Ukraine
Kristina Jovanovski
December 11, 2014
And lefties are hailing him as a Batman-like vigilante for taking down a Fox News superfan.
Meet Your New ‘Hot Mugshot Guy’: Sean Kory, Fox News’ Public Enemy No. 1
Marlow Stern
November 3, 2014
Slavery, segregation, and abortion led to civil war, vigilante violence, and massive protest movements.
The Coming Gay Marriage Witch Hunt
David Freedlander
June 19, 2014
Will California nominate a vigilante, busted boarding an airplane with a loaded gun, as the Republican alternative for Governor?
Inside California's Crazy Race To Be The GOP Gubernatorial Candidate
Olivia Nuzzi
May 30, 2014
A growing sex abuse scandal at the Ivy League institution has taken a vigilante turn.
Someone Is Writing Lists of ‘Rapists’ on Columbia’s Walls
Olivia Nuzzi
May 14, 2014

Historical Examples of vigilante

All those who had joined the vigilante movement were marked men.
The Story of the Outlaw
Emerson Hough
There's nothing I'm so sick of hearing as this vigilante stuff.
Laramie Holds the Range
Frank H. Spearman
"But I gave the vigilante his penny this morning," I said, hastening to the door.
The Fortunate Isles
Mary Stuart Boyd
"It's the vigilante," he said, returning to the veranda where we were sitting.
The Fortunate Isles
Mary Stuart Boyd
You don't mean to say she loves that Vigilante—that mining fellow?
Miss Dividends
Archibald Clavering Gunter

British Dictionary definitions for vigilante

vigilante

noun

one of an organized group of citizens who take upon themselves the protection of their district, properties, etc

Also called: vigilance man US a member of a vigilance committee

Word Origin for vigilante

C19: from Spanish, from Latin vigilāre to keep watch

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

Word Origin and History for vigilante

"member of a vigilance committee," 1856, American English, from Spanish vigilante, literally "watchman," from Latin vigilantem (see vigilance). Vigilant man in same sense is attested from 1824 in a Missouri context. Vigilance committees kept informal rough order on the frontier or in other places where official authority was imperfect.