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vengeance

[ven-juh ns] /ˈvɛn dʒəns/
noun
1.
infliction of injury, harm, humiliation, or the like, on a person by another who has been harmed by that person; violent revenge:
But have you the right to vengeance?
2.
an act or opportunity of inflicting such trouble:
to take one's vengeance.
3.
the desire for revenge:
a man full of vengeance.
4.
Obsolete. hurt; injury.
5.
Obsolete. curse; imprecation.
Idioms
6.
with a vengeance,
  1. with force or violence.
  2. greatly; extremely.
  3. to an unreasonable, excessive, or surprising degree:
    He attacked the job with a vengeance.
Origin
Middle English
1250-1300
1250-1300; Middle English < Old French, equivalent to vengi(er) to avenge (see venge) + -ance -ance
Synonyms
1. requital, retaliation. See revenge.
Antonyms
1. forgiveness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015.
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Examples from the web for vengeance
  • Where in the old there is vengeance and retribution there is forgiveness in the new.
  • After a decades-long reprieve, bed bugs have returned with a vengeance, plaguing rich and poor alike.
  • Outlaws ride in and steal all your horses and there is nothing you can do except go out and get your vengeance yourself.
  • It was for vengeance upon a caitiff knight, who had made her lover captive and despoiled her of her lands.
  • Howbeit these things surely lie on the knees of the gods, whether he shall return or not, and take vengeance in his halls.
  • The pattern is inescapable: she takes disagreements personally, and swiftly deals vengeance on enemies, real or perceived.
  • He wrestles with fidelity, envy, vengeance and forgiveness.
  • She promised to forsake vengeance if her husband were returned safely.
  • Whatever the case, his investment is now paying off with a vengeance.
  • Many armed demonstrators expressed anger and demanded vengeance.
British Dictionary definitions for vengeance

vengeance

/ˈvɛndʒəns/
noun
1.
the act of or desire for taking revenge; retributive punishment
2.
with a vengeance, (intensifier): the 70's have returned with a vengeance
Word Origin
C13: from Old French, from venger to avenge, from Latin vindicāre to punish; see vindicate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for vengeance
n.

c.1300, from Anglo-French vengeaunce, Old French vengeance "revenge," from vengier "take revenge," from Latin vindicare "to set free, claim, avenge" (see vindicate).

Vengeance is mine, ... saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. [Paul to the Romans, xii:19-20]

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Idioms and Phrases with vengeance

vengeance

see: with a vengeance
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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