Vindictive describes someone who strongly wants to hurt or punish someone who they think has wronged them.
From Latin “vindicta,” meaning “revenge,” related to “vindicare,” meaning “to claim or avenge.” The word shifted in English to describe a person full of the desire for revenge.
A vindictive person doesn’t just want fairness; they want the other person to feel pain back. Psychologists find that being vindictive often hurts the person holding the grudge more than the target.
Accusations of being "vindictive" have often been used to dismiss women's and marginalized people's justified anger or pursuit of accountability, especially in response to harassment or discrimination. This framing can reinforce stereotypes of emotional excess in women.
Reserve "vindictive" for clear patterns of disproportionate retaliation, and avoid using it to pathologize someone's reasonable efforts to seek justice or redress, especially in gendered contexts.
["retaliatory","retributive","spiteful (if clearly warranted)"]
Feminist and civil-rights advocates have highlighted how labeling women as vindictive can be a tactic to silence whistleblowers and survivors.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.