vindictiveness.

A disposition to seek revenge or impose suffering in response to a wrong or slight.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• petty vindictiveness
• calculated vindictiveness

On the page

Vindictiveness turned a routine transfer into a punishment everyone understood.

She resisted the vindictiveness of writing a letter meant only to reopen his shame.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychological / character. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.