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vengeancethe act of punishing or harming someone in return for what they have done to you

Part of speech: NOUN

Definition: the act of punishing or harming someone in return for what they have done to you

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈvendʒəns/

Example Sentences

  • The superhero movie was full of vengeance, but the villain kept forgetting why he was angry.
  • She plotted her vengeance carefully, planning to replace all his coffee with decaf.
  • The novel tells a story of vengeance that spans three generations.

vengeance

NOUN

[/ˈvendʒəns/]

the act of punishing or harming someone in return for what they have done to you

The angry employee prepared his vengeance by aggressively filling the decoy sandwich with a ridiculous amount of hot sauce.
💡 Concept

The angry employee prepared his vengeance by aggressively filling the decoy sandwich with a ridiculous amount of hot sauce.

VENGE(revenge) + ANCE(action) — vengeance is simply the noun form of taking revenge.
🧠 Mnemonic

VENGE(revenge) + ANCE(action) — vengeance is simply the noun form of taking revenge.

Ignoring the teacher's heavy sentence and showing zero penance, the naughty student immediately plotted his messy vengeance.
🎵 Rhyme

Ignoring the teacher's heavy sentence and showing zero penance, the naughty student immediately plotted his messy vengeance.

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈvendʒəns/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈvendʒəns/

🌳Etymology

Rootvenge
Suffix--ance

Origin

Vengeance derives from Latin vindicare, meaning 'to claim' or 'to avenge.' The word gained strong semantic weight in ancient Roman culture, where personal retaliation was justified as a means of defending honor and vindicating one's reputation.

Breakdown

Latin vindicare (to claim, avenge) → Old French vengance → Middle English vengeance. The suffix -ance transforms the verb into an abstract noun denoting the act or practice of avenging.

🎵Rhyme

attendancedependenceindependence
attendance
dependence
independence

🔗Collocations

seek vengeance
take vengeance
wreak vengeance
sweet vengeance
vengeance on someone
cry for vengeance

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

The superhero movie was full of vengeance, but the villain kept forgetting why he was angry.

😄 Fun example

She plotted her vengeance carefully, planning to replace all his coffee with decaf.

The novel tells a story of vengeance that spans three generations.

His desire for vengeance consumed him completely.

📚Related Words

Synonyms

revengeretributionretaliationpaybackreprisal

Antonyms

forgivenessmercypardon

Related

avengevindictivevengefuljusticepunishment

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