vindictive
Americanadjective
-
disposed or inclined to revenge; vengeful.
a vindictive person.
- Synonyms:
- unforgiving
- Antonyms:
- forgiving
-
proceeding from or showing a revengeful spirit.
vindictive rumors.
adjective
-
disposed to seek vengeance
-
characterized by spite or rancour
-
English law (of damages) in excess of the compensation due to the plaintiff and imposed in punishment of the defendant
Usage
What does vindictive mean? Vindictive is usually used to describe someone who’s known for frequently seeking revenge. It can also be used to describe the vengeful actions of such a person. A person described as vindictive is usually someone who holds a grudge and who always tries to get back at people who they think have wronged them in some way. Vindictive people retaliate against others for any insult or perceived slight. Vindictive people do not let things go. The word is always used negatively to imply criticism of such people or actions. Example: I’ve never seen someone so vindictive—he’s obsessed with getting back at everyone who has ever slighted him, even when it happened years ago.
Synonym Usage
See spiteful.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vindictive
First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin vindict(a) “vengeance” + -ive
Explanation
It is no fun hanging out with vindictive people, who are forever out to get back at people they think have hurt them. If you forget to say hello to them one day in the hall, they will carry a grudge against you into next week. Vindictive is often paired with mean, as in "the atmosphere of the cheerleading squad at my new school was vindictive and mean and I wanted nothing to do with it." Vindictive rumors show a spirit full of revenge. Vindictive is from Latin vindicta "revenge." The related Latin verb vindicare has the very different meaning "to defend or clear someone from guilt," and this is the source of the English verb vindicate.
Vocabulary lists containing vindictive
The Crucible
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You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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Grade 9, List 4
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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.
The Maryland man deported last year by mistake already had his federal indictment on human smuggling charges dismissed over vindictive prosecution, but now, the Justice Department is demanding the indictment be brought back.
From Slate ● Aug. 23, 2026
Brennan’s lawyers said they filed the lawsuit in anticipation of fighting a future prosecution as vindictive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
And there’s the leering, preening Rupert Mannion from “Ted Lasso” — multimillionaire soccer team owner, inveterate philanderer and incurably vindictive divorcé.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
"I'd like a more modern right with free-market values, but represented by someone who is not so vindictive and wants to work for Peru," he says.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
Still, Onofre Martinez was not a bad, vile, or vindictive hooligan.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
