DESPITEFUL Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

despiteful

adjective

di-ˈspīt-fəl

Definition of despiteful

as in malicious

having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it despiteful treatment of his poor relations during their visit

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for despiteful

Adjective

Disrupting the servers used to control malware doesn't automatically remove malicious firmware from devices already sitting in people's homes.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2026
The operation was sophisticated, involving fake job interviews and malicious code.

— Joel Breakstone, Contributor,Nadav Ziv, Contributor, CNBC, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of malicious

Adjective

Newsom and other opponents of capital punishment have long argued that the process is costly, cruel and discriminatory, with death sentences disproportionately handed down to defendants of color.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
In a cruel twist of fate, the back half of the trailer shows Geoff being affected by severe confusion, sitting outside his house in the cold.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

For the moment, Trump’s vicious bigotry has alienated most independent voters and even some Republicans.

— David Yassky, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Outside observers described his vicious consolidation of power as an attempt to compensate for his youth, his limited political experience, and his complete lack of a military background.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

HinduPACT urged Hindus to remain vigilant and report any suspicious or hateful activity to local law enforcement.

— Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2026
Voters vehemently rebuked, with some important exceptions, Trump’s hateful policymaking, with Democrats taking both the house and the senate.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of hateful

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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despite

despiteful

despitefully

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“Despiteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despiteful. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of despiteful

adjective

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