Revenge, Vengeance and Avenge Are Not Interchangeable
Revenge is harm inflicted in return for a wrong. Avenging is done on behalf of someone else, and the distinction is worth keeping.
Revenge is harm inflicted in return for a wrong suffered. English keeps a useful distinction: you take revenge for yourself but *avenge* someone else. A person avenges a murdered friend; they revenge themselves on an enemy. Vengeance is the noun for the avenging side, and carries an air of justice.
- Harm inflicted in return. *An act of revenge.*
- To take revenge. *He revenged the insult.*
- Avenge — to punish on behalf of another. *She avenged her brother.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | revenge | Sweet revenge. |
| Verb | revenge | Revenge themselves. |
| Verb | avenge | Avenge a death. |
| Noun | vengeance | With a vengeance. |
| Adjective | vengeful | A vengeful mood. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Revenge is a dish best served cold.A proverb of uncertain origin, often misattributed.
- He set out to avenge his father.On someone else's behalf.
- The rain returned with a vengeance.Meaning with great force.
Getting even
- Revenge — personal retaliation
- Vengeance — punishment inflicted in return, often with moral weight
- Retribution — deserved punishment
- Retaliation — a return blow, often immediate
- Vendetta — a long feud, from the Italian
From Old French *revenger*, from Latin *vindicare*, to claim or avenge — the same root as *vindicate* and *vindictive*.
Revenge or avenge?
You avenge a person or a wrong done to someone else; you take revenge for yourself. Avenge suggests justice, revenge suggests satisfaction.
What does *with a vengeance* mean?
With great force or to an extreme degree. It has lost any sense of retaliation.