1
: petty ill will or hatred with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart
2
: an instance of spite
spited; spiting
2
: to treat maliciously (as by shaming or thwarting)
Synonyms
Examples of spite in a Sentence
Noun
He is jealous and full of spite.
spread cruel lies out of pure spite
Verb
He only did it to spite me.
sometimes, I swear, she keeps doing that just to spite me
Recent Examples on the Web
Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023
But in spite of the co-op’s efforts, and the availability of antivenin across the country, many challenges persist.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2023
In spite of all Rodrigo’s hype, USC ended up losing to UCLA 38-20.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2023
And this public perception has solidified in spite of the fact that a mounting body of evidence has now shown that ecigarettes are safer than smoking.
—WIRED, 19 Nov. 2023
The authentications have to be done in seconds, in spite of everything Almordaah and the other buyers have to check.
—Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
The vote came in spite of all 22 public speakers, who either left a voicemail or spoke in person, strongly advocating for Naranjo to get the chair position.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2023
In spite of its compact size, its two large drawers provide extra space for storage.
—Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Nov. 2023
His stubbornly large advantage comes in spite of not attending the two previous debates and an ongoing heap of legal trouble.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2023
Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Nov. 2023
Doug always detested Reggie and only ended up the owner of the sweet pup to spite his ex-girlfriend, who loved the dog but learned to hate the two-timing Doug.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
Forte plays Doug, who doesn’t want Reggie (voice of Will Ferrell), only keeping him to spite his ex.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 17 Aug. 2023
The most short-sighted aspect of the mini-rooms, however, is how blatantly the studios are cutting off their nose to spite their own faces.
—Zack Arnold, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 June 2023
There are legitimate concerns for sure, but giving up on a 26-year-old talent who is just entering his athletic prime smacks of an old Irish warning my mother used to tell us Sullivan siblings: Don’t bite off your nose to spite your face.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 1 June 2023
And nearly nobody would accept an outcome like killing a baby to spite the other party.
—The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2023
Season 3 also follows Catherine’s struggle to win the favor of the Russian people — who make something of a voodoo doll to spite her, as seen in the trailer — as Peter tries to keep himself busy while being plagued by visions of his late father (Jason Isaacs).
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 12 Apr. 2023
Since its return, David and Schaffer have reunited the ensemble cast, along with a roster of impressive guest stars, for three additional seasons of Larry shenanigans that have tackled everything from fatwas and spite stores to MAGA and local elections.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2023
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Noun
She’s learned to love herself and her life in spite of its hardships by holding on to her own agency.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023
But in spite of the co-op’s efforts, and the availability of antivenin across the country, many challenges persist.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2023
In spite of all Rodrigo’s hype, USC ended up losing to UCLA 38-20.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2023
And this public perception has solidified in spite of the fact that a mounting body of evidence has now shown that ecigarettes are safer than smoking.
—WIRED, 19 Nov. 2023
The authentications have to be done in seconds, in spite of everything Almordaah and the other buyers have to check.
—Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
The vote came in spite of all 22 public speakers, who either left a voicemail or spoke in person, strongly advocating for Naranjo to get the chair position.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2023
In spite of its compact size, its two large drawers provide extra space for storage.
—Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Nov. 2023
His stubbornly large advantage comes in spite of not attending the two previous debates and an ongoing heap of legal trouble.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2023
Verb
Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: The city essentially cut off their nose to spite their face.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Nov. 2023
Doug always detested Reggie and only ended up the owner of the sweet pup to spite his ex-girlfriend, who loved the dog but learned to hate the two-timing Doug.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
Forte plays Doug, who doesn’t want Reggie (voice of Will Ferrell), only keeping him to spite his ex.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 17 Aug. 2023
The most short-sighted aspect of the mini-rooms, however, is how blatantly the studios are cutting off their nose to spite their own faces.
—Zack Arnold, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 June 2023
There are legitimate concerns for sure, but giving up on a 26-year-old talent who is just entering his athletic prime smacks of an old Irish warning my mother used to tell us Sullivan siblings: Don’t bite off your nose to spite your face.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 1 June 2023
And nearly nobody would accept an outcome like killing a baby to spite the other party.
—The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2023
Season 3 also follows Catherine’s struggle to win the favor of the Russian people — who make something of a voodoo doll to spite her, as seen in the trailer — as Peter tries to keep himself busy while being plagued by visions of his late father (Jason Isaacs).
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 12 Apr. 2023
Since its return, David and Schaffer have reunited the ensemble cast, along with a roster of impressive guest stars, for three additional seasons of Larry shenanigans that have tackled everything from fatwas and spite stores to MAGA and local elections.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing spite
Dictionary Entries Near spite
Cite this Entry
“Spite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spite. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on spite
Nglish: Translation of spite for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of spite for Arabic Speakers
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