vigilante

/,vidʤi'lænti/

Thân thiện

A vigilante patrols the quiet streets of his neighborhood at night.

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.

Học thuật

Noun

1. member of a vigilance committee

Từ đồng nghĩa

• vigilance man