spite

noun \ ˈspīt \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of spite

1 : petty ill will or hatred with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart

2 : an instance of spite

— in spite of

: in defiance or contempt of : without being prevented by

succeeded in spite of their opposition

See spite defined for English-language learners

See spite defined for kids

Examples of spite in a Sentence

He is jealous and full of spite.
spread cruel lies out of pure spite

Recent Examples of spite from the Web

However, in spite of fortune seemingly smiling upon Liverpool, there is speculation surrounding the legitimacy of the draw, with many fans speculating the fixtures were predetermined.

— SI.com, "Social Roundup: Twitter Reacts As Liverpool Get Roma & Real Meet Bayern in UCL Semi Final Draw," 13 Apr. 2018
But in spite of this liquid freedom, my days of numbing myself with alcohol had to end.

— larry ruhl, Longreads, "Sober Gay Man Seeks…What, Exactly, He’s No Longer Sure," 12 Apr. 2018
So too the growing exodus of black evangelicals from the evangelical movement, many of whom report feeling pressured to vote for or support Donald Trump in spite of his statements on race.

— tara isabella burton, Vox, "Lynchburg’s Red Letter Revival brought “pro-testifiers” to Jerry Falwell Jr.’s door.," 12 Apr. 2018
In spite of the valiant efforts of the great Islamic scholars of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, part of their project failed to take hold.

— jacob soll, The New Republic, "How Islam Shaped the Enlightenment," 12 Apr. 2018
Firing Mueller or other top officials would almost certainly damage his already lagging approval ratings, which in spite of a recent rebound still remain at historically low levels for a modern president this early in his first term.

— Fortune, "How President Trump Could Imperil His Presidency by Firing Robert Mueller," 12 Apr. 2018
The fact that Mr Najib managed to keep his job in spite of the scandal at 1MDB amazes many.

— The Economist, "Malaysia’s government calls an election," 12 Apr. 2018
However, both the hypothalamus, one of the oldest brain areas, and parenting behavior generally show remarkable consistency across species in spite of other differences.

— lydia denworth, Scientific American, "A Command Center in the Mammalian Brain Orchestrates Parenting Behaviors," 11 Apr. 2018
In spite of her family's financial struggles, Tiffany has never stopped dreaming of helping that little boy, or others like him.

— brenda cain, cleveland.com, "10-year-old Tiffany Everhart planning to help other children in need: A Greater Cleveland," 11 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spite.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of spite

Middle English, short for despite

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

spite Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of spite

malice, malevolence, ill will, spite, malignity, spleen, grudge mean the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress. malice implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer.