What does venge mean?
Venge means to avenge a wrong, injury, or death, especially by retaliating against the person responsible. Its direct modern equivalent is avenge, but venge has a markedly elevated and archaic character. It commonly appears in stories, legends, historical writing, and dramatic speeches in which a character vows to punish those responsible for a grave injustice. A sentence such as “He swore to venge his father's murder” conveys not merely the intention of retaliating but also a strong sense of solemn obligation and moral outrage. Although the word can describe an act of revenge in an exacting or morally debatable sense, it does not itself indicate whether that retaliation is justified. In ordinary modern English, avenge is nearly always the more natural choice. Venge nevertheless remains valuable because it gives writers a concise way to express the formal vow to avenge a wrong and to preserve the language of older narratives and dramatic declarations.
verbTo avenge a wrong or injury, especially by retaliating against the person responsible. The word is now chiefly literary or archaic.
- To avenge a wrong or injury by retaliating against the person responsible.
"He returned years later to venge his father's murder."
"The survivors vowed to venge their fallen comrades."
"In the old legend, the hero returns to venge the unjust death of his father."
The old verb venge survives most visibly in vengeance and vengeful, where the desire for retaliation is still very much alive.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does venge come from?
Venge entered English from Old French venger, a verb meaning to avenge or punish. This developed from Latin vindicare, “to defend, vindicate, or avenge,” which was based on vindex, meaning “defender” or “champion.” The same Latin foundation produced familiar cognates including vindicate, vindication, and vindictive.
Related word forms
How venge is actually used
Venge is mainly found in formal, literary, historical, or deliberately archaic language. It often describes retaliatory action taken after a serious wrong and can therefore sound severe or morally charged.
Easily confused with venge
Venge is now chiefly a literary or archaic variant of avenge, which is the standard modern verb.