vendetta
/ven'detə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A prolonged, bitter, and often violent feud or rivalry between families, groups, or individuals, typically involving a cycle of retaliatory acts of revenge. It implies a deep-seated, obsessive desire for vengeance that is often passed down through generations or sustained over a long period.
Usage
- The word "vendetta" is used to describe a serious, long-standing conflict driven by a desire for revenge. It is often associated with family clans, criminal organizations, or intense personal grudges. It is a formal and dramatic term.
Examples
- Noun:
- The two crime families were locked in a bloody vendetta that lasted for decades.
- He pursued a personal vendetta against the journalist who had criticized his work.
- The region's history is marred by tribal vendettas.
Advanced Usage
- "to have a vendetta against someone": to hold a persistent grudge and seek revenge against a specific person.
- The CEO believed his former partner had a vendetta against him and was sabotaging his new business.
- "to wage/carry on a vendetta": to actively engage in or continue a feud.
- The politician was accused of waging a vendetta against his opponents in the media.
Variants and Related Words
- Feud (n): A prolonged and bitter quarrel or dispute. (A less intense and more general synonym).
- Grudge (n): A persistent feeling of ill will or resentment resulting from a past insult or injury. (More personal and less violent than a vendetta).
- Blood feud (n): A feud involving murder and retaliation between families or clans. (This is a very close synonym and compound term that specifies the violent nature).
Synonyms
- Feud
- Blood feud
- Rivalry (though this can be less hostile)
- Quarrel (less intense and prolonged)
Related Phrases
- Cycle of violence/revenge: A pattern where acts of vengeance provoke further retaliation, similar to the dynamic in a vendetta.
- Family feud: A long-standing quarrel between families, which can be a vendetta.
Idioms
- While "vendetta" itself is not typically part of a common English idiom, the concept is central to the idiom "an eye for an eye", which describes the principle of retaliatory justice that can fuel a vendetta.
Noun
- a feud in which members of the opposing parties murder each other