vindictive

Word family

vin·dic·tive /vɪnˈdɪktɪv/ adjectiveadj

CRUELunreasonably cruel and unfair towards someone who has harmed you 报复 (性)的；怀恨在心的

a bitter and vindictive old man

充满仇恨和报复心的老人

—vindictively adverbadv

—vindictiveness noun [uncountableU]

Examples from the Corpus

vindictive• After the divorce Joan's ex-husband became increasingly vindictive.• Depriving our police force of a cup of tea is astronomically vindictive and silly.• A conservative columnist, George Will, provides a more vindictive answer.• Humans are specialized in vindictive behavior.• He never destroyed a witch simply on the say-so of vindictive enemies.• What vindictive irony, to force Digby to sacrifice his entire career in transport over a railways announcement!• "I'll pay her back for this.'' "Don't be so vindictive. It doesn't help anyone.''• Accurately, though unfairly, contemporary critics of the Futurists denounced them with the vindictive labels: photographic, cinematic.• He's not a vindictive person.• She was vindictive, vulgar; she wanted to hurt him.• Doug could be nasty and vindictive when he was drinking.

Origin vindictive

(1600-1700) Latin vindicta “revenge”, from vindicare; → VINDICATE

vin·dic·tive adjectiveadj

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus