vigilante
[vij-uh-lan-tee]
- a member of a vigilance committee.
- any person who takes the law into his or her own hands, as by avenging a crime.
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- done violently and summarily, without recourse to lawful procedures: vigilante justice.
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Origin of vigilante
1825–35, Americanism; < Spanish: vigilant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for vigilantism
Contemporary Examples
And people might think twice about Zimmerman-style vigilantism in the future, she said.
But it was never a place where vigilantism ensured arbitrary enforcement of codes of behavior.
They're concerned about Jones' tactics, Tangen explains, because he flirts with vigilantism and seems to court the media.
vigilantism
- US the methods, conduct, attitudes, etc, associated with vigilantes, esp militancy, bigotry, or suspiciousness
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vigilante
- 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
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Word Origin
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
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Word Origin and History for vigilantism
vigilante
n.
"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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper