as in nemesis
one who inflicts punishment in return for an injury or offense
the danger of these self-appointed vigilantes is that they sometimes go after innocent people
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Recent Examples of vigilante
And unlike Cox, whose masked vigilante is often doing the kinds of acrobatics designated for a stunt double on set, Bethel performs most of his own action.
—
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
On the surface, Goldhaber and Mazzei’s latest is a vigilante crime thriller about a content moderator (Barbie Ferreira) who is busy hunting a web-obsessed serial killer (Dacre Montgomery).
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Apr. 2026
Schreier also teased what might be in store for fans of the vigilante heroes.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026
Vigilante groups under scrutiny On the increase since 2023, vigilante groups like the Jean Denis Coalition are increasingly coming under scrutiny.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vigilante
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
On the surface, Goldhaber and Mazzei’s latest is a vigilante crime thriller about a content moderator (Barbie Ferreira) who is busy hunting a web-obsessed serial killer (Dacre Montgomery).
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Apr. 2026
Schreier also teased what might be in store for fans of the vigilante heroes.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026
Vigilante groups under scrutiny On the increase since 2023, vigilante groups like the Jean Denis Coalition are increasingly coming under scrutiny.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vigilante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vigilante
Noun
-
The Flyers steamrolled through the first three games against their long-time nemesis in Crosby and the Penguins.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The sequel revolves around journalist Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) reuniting with her former nemesis editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) to save the fashion magazine.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But as all the world knows, Edmond Dantès did rise again, transformed from an innocent young sailor into that courtly yet implacable avenger, the Count of Monte Cristo.—
Michael Dirda,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
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And it was signed, black dahlia avenger.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Montgomery has barely been in the big leagues for two months but has already put his name alongside a couple of franchise icons (and another hard-core punisher of baseballs).—
Phil Rogers,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vigilante.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vigilante. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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