Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vigilante

/ˌvɪd͡ʒ.əˈlæn.ti/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.31 in modern English

Syllables: vig-i-lante
IPA: /ˌvɪd͡ʒ.əˈlæn.ti/

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A member of a vigilance committee.

noun

A person who acts outside of legal authority, often violently, to punish or avenge a crime, right a perceived wrong, etc.

name

Example Sentences

"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."
"Jeptha Billingsley, who was no prize pig himself (he had been arrested for horse theft and assault with intent to murder), was to be taught a lesson, and the vigilantes made him cut down the McLemores."

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish vigilante (“watchman, guard”), from Latin vigilans. Doublet of vigilant.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: vigilans

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌvɪd͡ʒ.əˈlæn.ti/
British English: /ˌvɪd͡ʒ.ɪˈlæn.ti/

Inflected Forms

vigilantes (plural)

Derived Forms

antivigilante cybervigilante digilante vigilanteism vigilantelike vigilantism vigilantist

Phrases

bond vigilante

Rhymes With

ante auntie panty santi shanti shanty chianti ypsilanti scanty ferranti canty santy

Questions

How do you pronounce vigilante?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌvɪd͡ʒ.əˈlæn.ti/.
What does vigilante mean?: A member of a vigilance committee.
Where does vigilante come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce vigilante

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “vigilante”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌvɪd͡ʒ.əˈlæn.ti/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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