Both Uses of
vindictive
in
The Souls of Black Folk
- Careless ignorance and laziness here, fierce hate and vindictiveness there;—these are the extremes of the Negro problem which we met that day, and we scarce knew which we preferred.†
Chpt 7
- Conscious of his impotence, and pessimistic, he often becomes bitter and vindictive; and his religion, instead of a worship, is a complaint and a curse, a wail rather than a hope, a sneer rather than a faith.†
Chpt 10 *
Definitions:
-
(1)
(vindictive) desirous of seeking revenge or wanting to hurt someone
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Legal term: In some states, vindictive damages is synonymous with punitive damages.