Avenge Is for Others; Revenge Is for Yourself
To avenge is to secure justice for a wrong. The traditional distinction from revenge is about who was harmed and why you act.
To avenge is to inflict punishment on behalf of someone wronged. The traditional rule is neat: you avenge a person or a wrong, usually someone else's, in the name of justice; you take revenge for yourself, out of resentment. Avenge is the noble verb, revenge the personal one, and English keeps the two apart.
- To exact justice for a wrong. *Avenge his father.*
- To punish on someone's behalf. *Avenge the insult.*
- Revenge — retaliation for oneself. *He took revenge.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | avenge | Avenge the wrong. |
| Past | avenged | She avenged him. |
| Person | avenger | A lone avenger. |
| Related | vengeance | Swift vengeance. |
| Related | revenge | Bitter revenge. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He set out to avenge his brother.On another's behalf.
- She took revenge on her rival.For herself.
- Vengeance is the noun for both.There is no verb *to vengeance*.
Avenge, revenge, vengeance
- Avenge — a verb, usually for another's wrong
- Revenge — mostly a noun; the verb exists but is old-fashioned
- Vengeance — the abstract noun for the act
- Vindictive — motivated by a desire for revenge
- Retribution — punishment deserved, without the personal edge
From Old French *avengier*, from Latin *ad*, to, and *vindicare*, to claim or punish — the source of *vindicate* and *vindictive*.
Avenge or revenge?
Avenge is a verb for righting a wrong, usually another's. Revenge is a noun for personal retaliation.
Can you avenge yourself?
You can, and writers do. But the word carries a note of justice that revenge does not.