What does "revenge" mean?
Revenge: To inflict injury for, in a spiteful, wrong, or malignant spirit; to wreak vengeance for maliciously. See Avenge.
Additional senses
- 2.To take vengeance; -- with upon. [Obs.] "A bird that will revenge upon you all." Shak.
- 3.The act of revenging; vengeance; retaliation; a returning of evil for evil. Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is even with his enemy; but in passing it over he is superior. Bacon.
- 4.The disposition to revenge; a malignant wishing of evil to one who has done us an injury. Revenge now goes To lay a complot to betray thy foes. Shak. The indulgence of revenge tends to make men more savage and cruel. Kames.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00