To avenge is to exact retribution for a wrong, usually on behalf of someone else and with a sense of justice — avenge his brother's death. Revenge is retaliation taken for personal satisfaction. Avenge is chiefly a verb; revenge is chiefly a noun.
The core difference
Both answer a wrong. One claims justice, the other claims satisfaction.
- avenge (verb) — exact just retribution, often for another: she avenged the insult to her family.
- revenge (noun) — retaliation for personal satisfaction: took revenge.
The grammar
Avenge works as a verb and gives the noun vengeance. Revenge works mainly as a noun, though it exists as a verb in the reflexive — revenge oneself on. So "he revenged his father" is awkward; "he avenged his father" is the idiom.
What the distinction carries
The words differ in whose interest is served. Avenging is presented as righting a wrong; revenge is presented as satisfying the wronged party. That is why literature reaches for one or the other deliberately.
Frequently asked questions
Which word implies justice?
Avenge. Revenge implies personal satisfaction rather than righting a wrong.
Is revenge a verb?
Mainly a noun, though it works reflexively — to revenge oneself on someone.
What is the noun from avenge?
Vengeance.