vendetta

Everyday

1. A long, bitter quarrel between two families in which they keep taking revenge on each other, sometimes violently. tree →
2. A long campaign by one person to harm or annoy another person they dislike. tree →

In the lessons

Used in stories, history and the news. It tells the reader that the anger is personal and goes on for a long time, often for no fair reason. The word came from Italian, where it means revenge. Phrases: "a vendetta against", "carry on a vendetta", "a personal vendetta".

Examples

• The two families had a vendetta that lasted a hundred years. tree →
• He seemed to have a personal vendetta against the referee. tree →
• In the story, the vendetta ended when the children of both families became friends. tree →
• The teacher said it was not a vendetta; she was just being fair. tree →
• Old vendettas can make a village an unhappy place. tree →
• She dropped her vendetta and said sorry. tree →

Note

Countable: a vendetta, two vendettas. It comes from Italian. A vendetta is not just one argument; it is long and about getting even. Taking revenge usually makes problems worse, which is what many stories about vendettas teach.