vindictive

English

WOTD – 8 April 2010

Etymology

From Latin vindicta (“vengeance”), from vindico (“claim, vindicate”), from vindex (“defender”), +‎ -ive.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /vɪnˈdɪk.tɪv/

Adjective

vindictive (comparative more vindictive, superlative most vindictive)

1. Having a tendency to seek revenge when wronged, vengeful.
   • 1920, D. H. Lawrence, chapter 18, in Women in Love^[1]:

     The vindictive mockery in her voice made his brain quiver.

   • 1933, H. G. Wells, The Shape of Things to Come^[2]:

     The victors will exact vindictive penalties and the losers of course will undertake to pay, but none of them realizes that money is going to do the most extraordinary things to them when they begin upon that.

2. (obsolete) punitive

Synonyms

• vengeful, revengeful, nasty
• See also Wikisaurus:vengeful

Derived terms

• vindictively
• vindictiveness

Related terms

• vindicate
• vindication
• vindicator

Translations

having a tendency to seek revenge

• Armenian: վրեժխնդիր (hy) (vrežxndir), ոխակալ (hy) (oxakal), քինոտ (hy) (kʿinot)
• Czech: mstivý m, pomstychtivý m
• Danish: hævngerrig
• Dutch: rancuneus (nl), wraakzuchtig (nl)
• Finnish: kostonhaluinen (fi), kostonhimoinen
• French: vindicatif (fr), rancuneux (fr)
• German: rachsüchtig (de)
• Hungarian: bosszúszomjas (hu)
• Icelandic: hefnigjarn m, heiftrækinn m
• Irish: aifearach
• Italian: vendicativo (it)

• Kurdish:

  Sorani: خوێنه‌خوێ‎ (xwénexwé)

• Maori: whakamau, kaikiko
• Polish: mściwy (pl), złośliwy (pl) m
• Portuguese: vingativo (pt), vingador
• Romanian: vindicativ (ro), răzbunător (ro), dușmănos (ro) m, ranchiunos (ro) m
• Russian: мсти́тельный (ru) (mstítelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: dìoghaltach
• Spanish: vindicativo (es), vengativo
• Swedish: hämndlysten

Further reading

• vindictive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• vindictive in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• vindictive at OneLook Dictionary Search