vindictiveness

American  

[vin-dik-tiv-nis] / vɪnˈdɪk tɪv nɪs /

noun

1. a vengeful character or quality; a spirit of revenge.

   Grudges, vindictiveness, jealousies, and so on are part of being human, but must be separated from hiring decisions.

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Other Word Forms

• unvindictiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of vindictiveness

vindictive ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

Della Cruz’s stirring Ninoy standing tall against the patriarchal savagery of Renfro’s Ferdinand and the petty vindictiveness of Acasio’s well-drawn Imelda is a powerful call to action.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

However, it would help prevent petty vindictiveness from ruling when lives are at stake.

From Salon • Dec. 30, 2025

“It is not prosecutorial vindictiveness to continue a case after a deal has been rejected,” McCrae writes.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 28, 2023

So outsource that vindictiveness to a towing company that deals with it all the time.

From Slate • Dec. 27, 2022

This vindictiveness was urged on by men in high places who resented the President’s spirit of clemency as violently as they resented the tenacity of the South.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt