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

Use strong security software Good security software can help protect you from malicious links, phishing attempts and other online threats that may try to steal your information.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Many phones silently join familiar-looking networks without user confirmation, a behavior that attackers exploit through malicious wireless access points that mimic trusted hotspots.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of malicious

Adjective

Success can feel like a cruel tease, fleetingly unattainable and yet when finally achieved, too dangerous to enjoy too long.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
If Russia behaved badly, that was the fault of its primitive and cruel Asian side, a notion that conveniently created the fiction that Western countries are not capable of similar cruelty.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

But Roy’s story of Annie (Arjun Raina), a New Delhi architecture student caught in a vicious cycle of failing and repeating his studies, gradually reveals itself as a sharp and poignant portrayal of youth, deftly poised between hope and cynicism.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
Lawsuits, bureaucratic battles, boisterously divisive council arguments and vicious social media debates have been part of Bloomfield life for years, and intensified during Danielle Wong’s contentious time as mayor.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

The league's anti-hate committee was formed last year to deal with hateful and abusive online comments directed at players and the league.

— S.E. Jenkins, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
But arguably the script by Jones and director Brunner might have been a skoosh more impactful if the small-minded townsfolk, clearly coded as bigoted MAGA types, weren’t quite so hateful with only a few exceptions.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of hateful

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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 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of despiteful

adjective

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