vindictive

[vin-dik-tiv]

See more synonyms for vindictive on Thesaurus.com

adjective

disposed or inclined to revenge; vengeful: a vindictive person.
proceeding from or showing a revengeful spirit: vindictive rumors.

Origin of vindictive

1610–20; < Latin vindict(a) vengeance + -ive

Related formsvin·dic·tive·ly, adverbvin·dic·tive·ness, nounun·vin·dic·tive, adjectiveun·vin·dic·tive·ly, adverbun·vin·dic·tive·ness, noun

Can be confusedvindicatory vindictive

Synonyms for vindictive

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1. unforgiving. See spiteful.

Antonyms for vindictive

1. forgiving.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for vindictively

brutally, cruelly, maliciously, ruthlessly, venomously

Examples from the Web for vindictively

Contemporary Examples of vindictively

London was famously charismatic, but to those closest to him, he could be vindictively cruel.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Sept. 30, 2013
Thomas Flynn, Jimmy So
September 30, 2013
The governor also sued Madigan and vindictively cut funding for the Illinois Arts Council headed by Madigan's wife.
I Was a Victim of Blago's Vendetta
Ross Goldberg
December 14, 2008

Historical Examples of vindictively

"I always said your colonel was a bear," says Miss Massereene, vindictively.
Molly Bawn
Margaret Wolfe Hamilton
But, it hastens to add, vindictively, 'generally an old or a rude-mannered one.'
The Book-Hunter at Home
P. B. M. Allan
"'Twould have served 'em right to have gone and left 'em," muttered Benham vindictively.
A Waif of the Plains
Bret Harte
Nicanor came to hate him vindictively, with no reason at all, as he hated all the world just then.
Nicanor - Teller of Tales
C. Bryson Taylor
Lloyd chuckled so vindictively that Symonds glanced at him in surprise.
The Lost Despatch
Natalie Sumner Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for vindictively

vindictive

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

Derived Formsvindictively, adverbvindictiveness, noun

Word Origin for vindictive

C17: from Latin vindicta revenge, from vindicāre to 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

Word Origin and History for vindictively

vindictive

adj.

1610s, from Latin vindicta "revenge" (see vindication). Related: Vindictively.