vigilante
/,vidʤi'lænti/
Definition
Noun: A person who takes the law into their own hands, often by pursuing and punishing suspected criminals without legal authority, typically as a member of a self-appointed group aiming to maintain order.
Usage
A "vigilante" acts outside the official legal system. The term often carries a negative connotation, implying dangerous, unauthorized, and potentially violent actions, even if the person's stated goal is justice or community protection.
Examples
- The neighborhood was so frustrated with the crime rate that some residents began acting as vigilantes.
- The comic book character is a vigilante who fights crime after dark without the approval of the police.
- The government warned against vigilante justice, stating that only the courts have the right to punish criminals.
Advanced Usage
- Vigilante action/justice/group: These are common collocations describing the activities or collectives associated with vigilantes.
- The rise in vigilante justice concerned human rights organizations.
- The term can be used attributively (like an adjective) before another noun.
- They formed a vigilante patrol to guard the streets.
Variants and Related Words
- Vigilantism (noun): The practice or policy of acting as a vigilante; the activities of vigilantes.
- The film explores the theme of vigilantism in a corrupt city.
Synonyms
- Self-appointed enforcer
- Avenger (in a specific, often literary context)
- Zealot (when emphasizing extreme, uncompromising fervor for a cause)
Antonyms
- Law enforcement officer
- Legal authority
Related Idioms and Phrases
- To take the law into one's own hands: This phrase describes the core action of a vigilante. A vigilante is someone who .
- Disgusted by the slow legal process, he decided to take the law into his own hands.
Noun
-
member of a vigilance committee
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