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What is the difference between revenge and vengeance?

revenge | vengeance |

Vengeance is a synonym of revenge.



As nouns the difference between revenge and vengeance

is that revenge is any form of personal retaliatory action against an individual, institution, or group for some perceived harm or injustice while vengeance is revenge taken for an insult, injury, or other wrong.

As a verb revenge

is to take one's revenge (on or upon) someone.

revenge

English

(wikipedia revenge)

Noun

(en-noun)
  • Any form of personal retaliatory action against an individual, institution, or group for some perceived harm or injustice.
  • (label) A win by the previous loser.
  • *
  • *:“I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge ”.

    • Synonyms

    * payback, wreak * See also

    Derived terms

    * Montezuma's revenge * revengeful * revenge is a dish best served cold * revengement * revenger

    See also

    * vendetta * avenge * vengeance * get one's own back * get back at somebody * retaliate

    Verb

  • (reflexive) To take one's revenge (on'' or ''upon ) someone.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, / Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius.
  • To take for (a particular harmful action), to avenge.
  • * Ld. Berners
    • to revenge the death of our fathers
  • * Dryden
    • The gods are just, and will revenge our cause.
    Arsenal revenged its loss to Manchester United last time with a 5-0 drubbing this time.
  • (archaic) To take vengeance; to revenge itself.
  • * Shakespeare
    • A bird that will revenge upon you all.

    Anagrams

    *

    vengeance

    English

    Alternative forms

    * vengeaunce

    Noun

  • Revenge taken for an insult, injury, or other wrong.
  • * 2000 , (Gladiator) (film):
    • My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North; General of the Felix Legions; loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius; father to a murdered son; husband to a murdered wife; and I will have my vengeance , in this life or the next.
  • Desire for revenge.
  • * (Charles Dickens), (Little Dorrit) :
    • Thereupon full of anger, full of jealousy, full of vengeance , she forms
  • * 2008 , Jean Harvey Baker, Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography (ISBN 0393075680):
    • If her husband was all forgiveness, asking the bands to play “Dixie,” she was full of vengeance
  • * 2011 , James Calloway, Black America, Not in This America (ISBN 1462868576):
    • Are they full of vengeance'[?], because they say that people with ' vengeance in their hearts must dig two graves, one for their enemy and the other for themselves.

    Synonyms

    * reprisal * retaliation * retribution * revenge * wreak * See also

    Antonyms

    * reconciliation