vendetta

noun
ven·​det·​ta | \ ven-ˈde-tə How to pronounce vendetta (audio) \

Definition of vendetta

2 : an often prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of such acts waged a personal vendetta against those who opposed his nomination

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Did You Know?

Vendetta has been getting even in English since the mid-19th century. English speakers borrowed vendetta, spelling and all, from Italian, in which it means "revenge." It ultimately traces to the Latin verb vindicare, which means "to lay claim to" or "to avenge." That Latin word is also in the family tree of many other English terms related to getting even, including avenge, revenge, vengeance, vindicate, and vindictive.

Examples of vendetta in a Sentence

He waged a personal vendetta against his rivals in the Senate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, the Congress alleged that the Narendra Modi government was indulging in political vendetta against Chidambaram. Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "India’s former finance minister P Chidambaram arrested," 21 Aug. 2019 Meanwhile, Jocelyn has a vendetta against oak, rebuking it at every turn. Ali Barthwell, Curbed, "I watched a full day of HGTV," 14 Aug. 2019 Chidambaram appears before the top court, accuses Modi government of carrying out vendetta against him and his son. Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "A timeline of key events that led to the arrest of India’s former finance minister," 22 Aug. 2019 Hunter Strickland’s Revenge Tour Strickland isn’t the calmest of guys, as evidenced by his longstanding feud/vendetta with Bryce Harper. Jon Tayler, SI.com, "MLB Trade Deadline Winners and Losers: What Happened to the Yankees and Dodgers?," 31 July 2019 And the claims against him were brought by SEALs who resented his leadership and were acting out of a vendetta against him. David French, National Review, "Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher’s Acquittal Reminds Us to Never Rush to Judgment," 3 July 2019 Kane was accused of leaking grand jury material in a vendetta against former prosecutors in her office. Craig R. Mccoy, Philly.com, "Ex-AG Kathleen Kane's conviction affirmed by Pa. appeals court," 25 May 2018 Smith didn’t single out Byrdsong because of a personal vendetta. Matthew Vantryon, Indianapolis Star, "A white nationalist killed a black coach 20 years ago. The horror changed his friend forever.," 7 Aug. 2019 Analysts wondered whether the spate of arrests was a sign of overdue accountability or partisan vendetta. Washington Post, "Pakistan, mired in debt and inflation, cracks down on corruption," 19 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vendetta.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of vendetta

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for vendetta

borrowed from Italian, "retribution, revenge, blood feud," going back to Latin vindicta — more at vindictive

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More Definitions for vendetta

vendetta

noun

English Language Learners Definition of vendetta

: a very long and violent fight between two families or groups
: a series of acts done by someone over a long period of time to cause harm to a disliked person or group

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