vengeance
/'vendʤəns/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: - The act of inflicting harm in return for an injury or wrong suffered; retribution: "Vengeance" refers to the action of punishing or harming someone because they have caused harm to you or someone else. It implies a deliberate, often intense, desire for payback. - Punishment inflicted in retaliation; revenge: It is the return of an injury or evil, often with a sense of righteousness or justice from the perspective of the avenger.
Examples of Usage
- (He promised to punish the betrayer for the wrong done to him.)
- (The story's central theme is the pursuit of revenge.)
- (This quote suggests that ultimate retribution belongs to a divine power, not to humans.)
- (She actively tried to get revenge for the harm done to her family.)
Advanced Usage
- "with a vengeance": Used as an idiom meaning with great force, intensity, or to a much greater degree than expected.
- The rain came down with a vengeance. (The rain fell very heavily and violently.)
- After the holidays, she returned to work with a vengeance. (She returned to work with much more energy and determination than before.)
Variants and Related Words
- Avenge (verb): To inflict harm in return for (an injury or wrong done to oneself or another).
- Avenger (noun): A person who inflicts harm in return for an injury or wrong.
- Revenge (noun/verb): A closely related synonym, often used more generally for the act of retaliation.
Synonyms
- Retribution: Punishment inflicted as vengeance for a wrong.
- Retaliation: The action of returning a military attack or repaying an injury.
- Reprisal: An act of retaliation, especially in war.
- Payback: Informal term for revenge or retribution.
Related Phrases
- "to take vengeance on/upon someone": To inflict punishment or harm on someone as revenge.
- The hero vowed to take vengeance upon the villain.
- "to cry out for vengeance": To seem to demand or require revenge (often used figuratively).
- The injustice of the act cried out for vengeance.
Related Idioms
- "Vengeance is mine": A proverbial saying (originally from the Bible) declaring that the right to exact ultimate revenge belongs to God, not to people. It is often used to argue against personal revenge.
- "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned": This proverb (from a play) suggests that a woman seeking vengeance for being rejected can be extremely fierce, highlighting the power of vengeful feelings.
Noun
- the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life; I will repay, saith the Lord"--Romans 12:19
- Vengeance is mine
- For vengeance I would do nothing. This nation is too great to look for mere revenge--James Garfield
- he swore vengeance on the man who betrayed him
- the swiftness of divine retribution