What does vengeance mean?
Vengeance is a formal word for punishment or retaliation in response to a wrong, and it can also describe a powerful desire for revenge. Its use often suggests that the response is severe, morally charged, or likely to cause further suffering. The word appears in historical, political, and literary contexts, especially when an injured person or group seeks to punish those responsible. Vengeance may be driven by justice, anger, grief, or a sense of personal injury, and it frequently implies a cycle in which retaliatory acts provoke further retaliation. The related term revenge overlaps with it in meaning, but vengeance tends to foreground the punitive act or the fierce determination behind it. In everyday English, forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation provide clear contrasts.
nounPunishment or retaliation inflicted on someone in return for a wrong, especially by causing them harm. It can also refer to a strong desire to retaliate against someone who has caused injury or offense.
- The act of retaliating against someone for a wrong, especially by punishing or harming them.
- A strong or persistent desire to retaliate for a wrong; the spirit of revenge.
"Years after her father's death, she abandoned her pursuit of vengeance and tried to rebuild her life."
"The king demanded vengeance for the attack on his capital."
"The defeated rival was consumed by a desire for vengeance."
The plural is rare; vengeance is normally used in the singular.
"The two families were consumed by vengeances that outlived the original dispute."
Vengeance entered English from Old French, but its Latin ancestor, vindicatio, originally meant defending or asserting a claim before it came to signify retribution.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vengeance come from?
Vengeance comes from Old French vengeance, a borrowing of Latin vindicatio, meaning vindication, defence, or avenging. Latin vindicatio was derived from vindicare, “to assert, defend, or avenge,” which also produced cognates such as vindicate, vindication, and vindictive. The English noun developed in the late Middle English period and initially referred broadly to punishment or retaliation for an offense.
How vengeance is actually used
Vengeance is formal and often literary. It carries a strongly negative connotation, implying retaliation that may cause harm and perpetuate conflict.
Easily confused with vengeance
Vengeance usually emphasizes the punishment or retaliation exacted for a wrong, whereas revenge can emphasize the act of retaliating or the personal motivation behind it.