spite

1 of 2

noun

1
: petty ill will or hatred with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart
2
: an instance of spite

spite

2 of 2

verb

spited; spiting

transitive verb

1
a
b
: to fill with spite
2
: to treat maliciously (as by shaming or thwarting)
Phrases
in spite of
: in defiance or contempt of : without being prevented by
succeeded in spite of their opposition
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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
Noun
The airline underscored its relatively strong performance in spite of a number of challenges in the quarter, including the CrowdStrike outage and Hurricanes Debby and Helene. Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 24 Oct. 2024 Known as the harpy eagle, this striking creature is one of the largest extant eagle species on the planet, capable of measuring in at over 2.2 meters (7.3 feet) in wingspan—yet in spite of their physical might, these birds teetered dangerously close to the edge of extinction just a few years ago. Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
First comes the wit, as Cheryl goes rogue with her on-air questions to spite the show’s chauvinistic host (Tony Hale). Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2024 For years, Europeans offered him incentives to cooperate, hoping that an economically vibrant Russia that depended on the West would not cut off its nose to spite its face. Douglas London, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2022 See all Example Sentences for spite 

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

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, short for despite

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of spite was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near spite

Cite this Entry

“Spite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spite. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

spite

1 of 2 noun
: dislike or hatred for another person with a wish to torment, anger, or defeat

spite

2 of 2 verb
spited; spiting
: annoy, offend
did it to spite me

More from Merriam-Webster on spite

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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