spite

noun \ ˈspīt \

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

The Food and Drug Administration approved the therapy, called Kymriah, in children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia whose disease has come back in spite of previous treatments.

— liz szabo, Kaiser Health News, "Pioneering Cancer Gene Therapy Gets Green Light — And $475,000 Price Tag," 30 Aug. 2017
Or his willingness to sell weapons to Bahrain in spite of its human rights violations.

— chicagotribune.com, "Time is up on Rex Tillerson," 24 Aug. 2017
In spite of how much the general public dislikes the idea of debt, many people are collecting more of it every day.

— stewart welch, AL.com, "3 steps to getting out of debt," 24 Aug. 2017
His successor, Barack Obama, at first failed his test, pulling troops from Iraq in spite of multiple warnings that the consequences could be catastrophic.

— david french, National Review, "Donald Trump Decided Not to Lose the War in Afghanistan," 22 Aug. 2017
Awesome. ' ' Share Embed Link Arya impressively held her own against Brienne, in spite of Bri's size and experience.

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "Arya Stark and Brienne of Tarth's Sword Fight Proves That the Best Fighters in Westeros Are Women," 7 Aug. 2017
Inside the West Wing, Pence and Trump advisers continued to operate as if passage was possible, in spite of the unsuccessful turn in Providence.

— chicagotribune.com, "‘It’s an insane process’: How Trump and Republicans failed on their health care bill," 18 July 2017
Inside the West Wing, Pence and Trump advisers continued to operate as if passage was possible, in spite of the unsuccessful turn in Providence.

— robert costa, Washington Post, "‘It’s an insane process’: How Trump and Republicans failed on their health-care bill," 18 July 2017
In spite of the importance of curiosity, there aren’t that many people who specifically work on this topic.

— jessica gross, Longreads, "Why Are Humans So Curious?," 18 July 2017

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

spite Synonyms

Synonyms

cattiness, despite, hatefulness, malevolence, maliciousness, malignance, malignancy, malignity, meanness, nastiness, malice, spitefulness, spleen, venom, viciousness

Near Antonyms

devotion, love, passion; amiability, amicability, amity, civility, cordiality, friendliness, hospitality; adoration, ardor, infatuation, veneration, worship; affection, charity, kindliness, kindness; comity, empathy, friendship, goodwill, sympathy, understanding

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.

- felt no malice toward their former enemies

malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct.

- a look of dark malevolence

ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration.

- ill will provoked by a careless remark

spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments.

- petty insults inspired by spite

malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness.

- a life consumed by motiveless malignity

spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice.

- venting his spleen against politicians

grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction.

- never one to harbor a grudge

spite

verb

Definition of spite

spited; spiting

transitive verb

1 a :annoy, offend

b :to fill with spite

2 :to treat maliciously (as by shaming or thwarting)

See spite defined for English-language learners

Examples of spite in a Sentence

He only did it to spite me.
sometimes, I swear, she keeps doing that just to spite me

Recent Examples of spite from the Web

However, at the end of the day, Cleveland will soon be noted as a small NBA city that cut off its nose to spite its face.

— phillip morris, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers are done in by some streetballers: Phillip Morris," 30 Aug. 2017
First, the roommate shut off the cooking gas to spite his girlfriend, who also lived there, then the internet went out, at which point turnover in the other two bedrooms became brisk.

— kim velsey, New York Times, "For $350 in Rent, a Tenant Becomes a Landlord’s Helper," 28 July 2017

First Known Use of spite

circa 1555

spite Synonyms

SPITE Defined for English Language Learners

spite

noun

Definition of spite for English Language Learners

: a desire to harm, anger, or defeat another person especially because you feel that you have been treated wrongly in some way

spite

verb

Definition of spite for English Language Learners

: to deliberately annoy, upset, or hurt (someone)

SPITE Defined for Kids

spite

noun \ ˈspīt \

Definition of spite for Students

:dislike or hatred for another person with a wish to torment, anger, or defeat

— in spite of

:without being prevented by

The club failed in spite of our efforts.

spite

verb

Definition of spite for Students

spited; spiting

:annoy, anger

He did it to spite me.

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spite

Definition of spite

Examples of spite in a Sentence

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First Known Use of spite

spite Synonyms

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SPITE Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of spite for English Language Learners

spite

Definition of spite for English Language Learners

SPITE Defined for Kids

spite

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spite

Definition of spite for Students

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