spite

noun \ ˈspīt \

Updated on: 13 May 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

The continuing classification of Durham’s report has kept it something of a mystery, in spite of the disclosure of other materials and a book by another former acting CIA director, Michael Morrell, that addressed Durham’s investigation.

— edmund h. mahony, courant.com, "U.S. Attorney For Connecticut Durham's Secret Report Part Of Debate On CIA Nominee Haspel," 10 May 2018
That’s almost in spite of the film as a whole, which doesn’t linger with any of the other hardscrabble homeowners long enough solicit meaningful empathy.

— barbara vandenburgh, azcentral, "Eminent-domain drama 'Little Pink House' on shaky ground," 10 May 2018
In spite of the findings, Tillerson recommended ending the TPS status for those countries and the Department of Homeland Security has done so.

— tal kopan, CNN, "DHS terminations of protected status ignored diplomats' recommendations, report says," 9 May 2018
In spite of the uncertainty, Brown is forging ahead.

— hillary borrud, OregonLive.com, "Kate Brown forges ahead with special session tax plan amid uncertainty," 9 May 2018
Biosimilar developers are trying mightily to bring these more affordable, lifesaving medicines to market in spite of the myriad obstacles.

— christine simmon, STAT, "Games and greed delay the market entry of money-saving biosimilars," 9 May 2018
In spite of this, a remarkable recent suggestion is that Glossotherium and/or Scelidotherium may have constructed large burrows to escape predation or unfavorable weather.

— Smithsonian, "How Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Evolved," 8 May 2018
Benitez's comments are cause for concern among Newcastle fans, who want the Spaniard to stay after leading them to promotion from the Championship and mid-table security in the Premier League in spite of the club's tight-fisted transfer policy.

— SI.com, "Rafa Benitez Eyes 'Quality' Newcastle Transfer Additions & Targets Top 8 PL Finish Next Season," 8 May 2018
That’s in spite of the self-driving technology’s slow progress relative to that of other companies, like Waymo.

— johana bhuiyan, Recode, "Uber’s software detected the pedestrian in the fatal Arizona crash but did not react in time," 7 May 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.