vigilante
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vigilante¹
- /ˌvɪd͡ʒ.ɪˈlæn.ti/ UK
- /ˌvɪd͡ʒ.ɪˈlɑːn.teɪ/ UK
- /ˌvɪd͡ʒ.əˈlæn.ti/ US
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Spanish vigilante (“watchman, guard”), from Latin vigilans. Doublet of vigilant.
noun vigilantes
- A member of a vigilance committee.
- A person who acts outside of legal authority, often violently, to punish or avenge a crime, right a perceived wrong, etc. For example, a voice accusing a man of being a paedophile might be based on recent TV news programmes about antipaedophile vigilante groups, plus the memory of having been accused of being a pervert by a neighbour, plus fears that he might be a secret paedophile because he enjoyed reading Lolita.
Vigilante²
proper noun Vigilantes
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: vigilance man, mercenary, monitoring, surveillance, monitor, self-defence, self-defense, custody, guard, bouncer, policer, guardsman, paramilitary, militiaman, militia, watchman
Translations
Every language
noun person who considers it their responsibility to summarily uphold the law
| Español | justiciero, vigilantista |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 自警団員 jikeidan'in |
| 中文 | 義務警員 /义务警员 yìwù jǐngyuán, 治安會會員 /治安会会员 zhì'ānhuì huìyuán |
| Português | justiceiro |
| Français | justicier |
| Deutsch | Bürgerwehrler, Mitglied einer Bürgerwehr |
| Ελληνικά | βιτζιλάντε vitzilánte, εθελοντής φρουρός ethelontís frourós, εκδικητής ekdikitís |
| Русский | дружи́нник družínnik, дружи́нница družínnica, член «комите́та бди́тельности», титу́шка titúška, хунвэйби́н xunvɛjbín, черносо́тенец černosótenec |
Talk about this word "vigilante." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/vigilante. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. vigilante. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/vigilante "vigilante." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/vigilante.Cite this
@misc{vigilante_2026,
title = {vigilante},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/vigilante},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
