Synonyms for "vengeance"

Core Synonyms (Emphasis on retaliation and punishment):

• Retaliation: This is a very common and direct synonym.
• Revenge: Similar to retaliation, often used for personal or emotional acts of vengeance.
• Reprisal: Implies a more calculated or formal act of retaliation, often between groups or nations.

Synonyms with Added Emphasis (on anger or bitterness):

• Vendetta: Suggests a prolonged and bitter campaign of revenge, often involving families or clans.
• Retribution: Implies a deserved punishment for wrongdoing, often with a sense of justice or moral righteousness.

Synonyms with a Focus on Harm or Injury:

• Payback: A more informal term for revenge or retaliation.
• Requital: Suggests a repayment or compensation for a wrong, but can also imply punishment.

Which word to choose?

• Use retaliation or revenge for general acts of vengeance.
• Use reprisal for more formal or calculated acts, often between groups.
• Use vendetta for prolonged and bitter campaigns of revenge.
• Use retribution when emphasizing the idea of deserved punishment.
• Use payback for a more informal term for revenge.
• Use requital when suggesting repayment or compensation, but also potentially punishment.

Examples:

• "He sought vengeance for the death of his family." (Revenge)
• "The country launched a reprisal against the attackers." (Retaliation)
• "The two families had been engaged in a bloody vendetta for generations." (Prolonged revenge)
• "The victims demanded retribution for the crime." (Deserved punishment)
• "He wanted to get payback for what they had done to him." (Informal revenge)

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By Jerry Ramonyai