avenger means one who avenges or vindicates. It carries an Arena rating of 1409, earned across 17 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, avenger ranks #1,277 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,039 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #2,728 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #5,370 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
avenger is pronounced /əˈvɛndʒə(ɹ)/.
Why “avenger” is a great word
One who inflicts punishment or exacts retribution for a wrong or injury, especially on behalf of another. From Middle English *avengere*, from Anglo-French *avenger*, from *a-* (from Latin *ad-*, "to, toward") + *venger* ("to avenge"), first known use in the 14th century. Unlike a "revenger," who is consumed by the private heat of personal retaliation, or a "vindicator," who works to clear a name through defense, the avenger is an instrument of imposed justice, a proxy for a debt the world left unpaid. It is the shadow in the alley awaiting the cruel landlord, the cold fury of a sister for her brother’s ruin, the appointed force that makes score-settling a duty—a figure forever poised between righteous duty and its solemn, often lonely, execution.
Etymology
From Middle English avengere; equivalent to avenge + -er.
noun
- One who avenges or vindicates.e.g.“an avenger of blood”
- One who takes vengeance.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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