SPITEFUL Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

spiteful

adjective

ˈspīt-fəl

Definition of spiteful

as in malicious

having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it the gossip would utter the most vicious things with a spiteful smile

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spiteful Trump won his spiteful cases against asylum seekers and Haitian and Syrian immigrants. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026 Everyone has an acid tongue and brims with spiteful resentment. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 27 May 2026 This is an essential part of our checks and balances system to prevent a corrupt president from dragging our nation into costly, dangerous, or spiteful wars. — Jeff Horseman, Oc Register, 5 May 2026 However nasty and spiteful things get between the Butleys and the del Valles, there’s always the sense that a détente may still be possible. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spiteful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiteful

Adjective

The malicious system component silently installs apps that look like weather tools, app lockers and other everyday utilities.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
The Federal Bureau of Investigation also warned that malicious actors could exploit the vulnerabilities to execute code remotely, putting sensitive data and networks at risk.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of malicious

Adjective

Participants fell into their roles a little too well and, after a prisoner rebellion, increasingly cruel forms of punishment from the guards and a number of students suffering mental breakdowns, the experiment was ended on the sixth day.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
But these townswomen — whether the undersexed Bakerwoman (Ella Bruccoleri ) or the prim, cruel busybody the Tailor’s Wife (a deliciously scheming Elizabeth Debicki) — are deeply unhappy with their own lot in life.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

The vicious cycle of the current model, of course, is that to become marketable a team needs to get and retain good players, and to do that a school has to spend money, which cycles the whole thing back to the start.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Governments were expected to rescue struggling banks, which held large amounts of sovereign debt, creating a vicious cycle.

— Jenni Reid,Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Manchester police say over the weekend, vandals wreaked havoc leaving several hateful, antisemitic, racist and homophobic slurs on people's property.

— Paul Burton, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2026
Ossoff went a step further, accusing Collins himself of amplifying hateful content and saying that his former congressional aide had intervened on behalf of a Holocaust denier.

— AJC.com, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of hateful

Adjective

With American Family Field rocking, Ashby reared back and threw a nasty curve that Díaz tried to hold up on.

— Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Of course, there has been some criticism of this plan, as France is experiencing some pretty nasty civil unrest at the moment, but the game will go ahead, with the Saints having been in the country for a few days already.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of nasty

Browse Nearby Words

spited

spiteful

spitefully

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“Spiteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiteful. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of spiteful

adjective

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