vindictive
/vɪnˈdɪk.tɪv/adjective
vindictive is spelled V-I-N-D-I-C-T-I-V-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, vindictive means “Having a tendency to seek revenge when wronged, vengeful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in vindictive?
| Letters | 10: V-I-N-D-I-C-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,649th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is vindictive?
Vindictive appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce vindictive?
- US /vɪnˈdɪk.tɪv/
Vindictive has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-vindictive.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of vindictive
- more vindictive comparative
- most vindictive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vindictive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a tendency to seek revenge when wronged, vengeful.
- 2
obsoletePunitive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vindictive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having a tendency to seek revenge:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vindicatif, rancuneux |
| German | rachsüchtig |
| Portuguese | vingativo, vingador |
| Spanish | vindicativo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does vindictive come from?
From Latin vindicta (“vengeance”) + -ive. Contrast Latin vindicātīvus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).