vindictive

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /vɪnˈdɪktɪv/ UK /vɪnˈdɪktɪv/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
having a strong desire for revenge; spiteful

His vindictive remarks revealed how deeply the slight had wounded him.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · having a strong desire for... vengefulspiteful revengeful malicious resentful unforgiving

Opposites

forgiving merciful magnanimous lenient

Word family

Forms vindictiveness

Derived forms vindictivelyvindictiveness

Related forms vindicate vengeance vindication

Etymology

From Latin 'vindicta' ('revenge, vengeance') + '-ive', ultimately from 'vindicare' ('to claim, avenge, punish'), from 'vindex' ('claimant, avenger').

vindicta Latin vindicare Latin

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Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# vindictive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** vɪnˈdɪktɪv
**IPA (UK):** vɪnˈdɪktɪv

## Meanings
1. having a strong desire for revenge; spiteful

## Examples
- His vindictive remarks revealed how deeply the slight had wounded him.

## Synonyms
- vengeful
- spiteful
- revengeful
- malicious
- resentful
- unforgiving

## Antonyms
- forgiving
- merciful
- magnanimous
- lenient

## Derived Forms
- vindictively
- vindictiveness

## Related Forms
- vindicate
- vengeance
- vindication

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: vindicta
- Root: vindicare

## Etymology
From Latin 'vindicta' ('revenge, vengeance') + '-ive', ultimately from 'vindicare' ('to claim, avenge, punish'), from 'vindex' ('claimant, avenger').

## AI Etymology
Vindictive comes from Latin 'vindicta' ('revenge, vengeance') + '-ive', ultimately from 'vindicare' ('to claim, avenge, punish'), from 'vindex' ('claimant, avenger'). The historical chain includes Latin vindicta and Latin vindicare. The quoted older senses, "vindicta", "revenge, vengeance", "-ive", "vindicare", and "to claim, avenge, punish", supply the semantic anchors for vindictive. The formation is best read as borrowed: the word vindictive carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a adj, "having a strong desire for revenge; spiteful". English derivatives include vindictively and vindictiveness; related English forms include vindicate, vengeance, and vindication. The result is a adj whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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