vindictivity
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From vindictive + -ity.
Senses: examples: text: Is shocked by the “malice, hate and vindictivity with which they ‘the rascally pack from fen & forest’ have belied, abused & attempted to injure you.”
ref: 1838 February 25, “From Henry Van Rensselaer Schermerhorn. Geneva, N.Y., February 25, 1838.”, in Robert Seager II, Melba Porter Hay, editors, The Papers of Henry Clay, volume 9 (The Whig Leader: January 1, 1837 – December 31, 1843), Lexington, Ky.: University of Kentucky Press, published 1988, →ISBN, page 151:
text: Richard’s vociferocity and incomprehensibility of vindictivity in antidisestablishmentarianism is the height of epiphenonimasticity — (just getting even).
ref: 1938, “Richard Townsend Davies”, in Milestone, Plainfield, N.J.: Plainfield High School, “Seniors” section, page 26:
text: Thus the idea of Mother went being degenerated. The Illusion-Maker, the Misery-creator, the Power which was in the end sure to be abused, Consort, Goddess of the five “M”s, Goddess of animal and human sacrifice, drinking and adultery, Goddess that took possession of Her devotees, (who would then be worshipped and requested to bless others and tell future, etc.), Goddess of fear and wrathfulness, vindictivity and cruelty, Goddess that would punish for even unconscious errors, Goddess of dacoits, robbers and thieves, and Goddess of black magic, etc.
ref: 1940, Mârkand R. Dholakiâ, “Hindu Conception of Mother”, in Mother and Mother’s Thousand Names: Mâi and Mâi Sahasranâma, volume I (Parts I & II), Bangalore: […] Modi Power Printing Works […], →OCLC, part I, page 45:
text: Can nouns ending in -tivity be formed from all adjectives ending in -ive? / They can, but should not. Let’s make a few, and see how they look: exhaustivity, vindictivity, productivity, conductivity, tentativity, lucrativity, negativity, inquisitivity, affirmativity, executivity, irrespectivity—well, that’s enough to show that some such derivatives (not on account of their derivativity alone!) are barbarous, some are acceptable in an emergency, and a few are in common use. Where -ivity won’t work, the ending -ness may do.
ref: [1946 April, Edward N. Teall, “With Some Tentativity!”, in J. L. Frazier, editor, The Inland Printer, volume 117, number 1, Chicago, Ill.: Maclean-Hunter Publishing Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, “The Proofroom” section, page 62, column 2:
text: His vindictivity toward Dana rages very hot and he rarely misses a chance at catching Dana off guard.
ref: 1980, Patricia LaWant Jack, “‘. . .neither be thou foolish; why shouldest thou die before thy time?’ (Ecclesiastes 7:17 KJV)”, in All Things in Their Time, Salt Lake City, Ut.: Hawkes Publishing Inc., →ISBN, part III (Gloriously Bright), page 71:
text: Acid throwing is one of the heinous activities occurred by angry youths out of denial of proposal for love. This is also caused out of vindictivity, old enmity, or if denied any proposal.
ref: 1999, AKM Ahsan Ullah, Abdar Rahman, Munira Murshed, “Dwellers and Their Vulnerabilities”, in Poverty and Migration: Slums of Dhaka City: The Realities, Dhaka: Association for Rural Development and Studies, →ISBN, footnote 27, page 60:
synonyms: vindictiveness
glosses: The quality of being vindictive.