spite

1 of 2

noun

ˈspīt 

1

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

2

: an instance of spite

see also:

in spite of

spite

2 of 2

verb

spited; spiting

transitive verb

1

a

: annoy, offend

b

: to fill with spite

2

: to treat maliciously (as by shaming or thwarting)

Synonyms of spite

Noun

• malice
• venom
• hatred
• cruelty

Verb

• annoy
• bother
• irritate
• bug
• persecute
• aggravate
• anger

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

Diana paused for a second, surprised at the intensity of the spite. — Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair, 22 Sep. 2026

On a day of love and spite and contrasts, his words resonate. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Verb

Not as praiseworthy is a tendency to dislike being told what to do, and in proving a point, to not only cut off their nose to spite their face but to lop off their heads as well. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

The day after OutKick reported the news, one of the show’s hosts claimed a source told them ESPN executive Burke Magnus leaked the information to OutKick to spite Clark. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

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

Phrases Containing spite

• cut off one's nose to spite one's face
• in spite of
• in spite of oneself

Rhymes for spite

• bight
• bite
• blight
• byte
• cite
• dight
• fight
• fite
• flight
• fright
• height
• hight

Kids Definition

spite

1 of 2 noun

ˈspīt 

: 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