SPITE Synonyms: 180 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'spite' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of spite are grudge , ill will , malevolence , malice , malignity , and spleen . While all these words mean "the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress," spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments. // petty insults inspired by spite

Q: In what contexts can 'grudge' take the place of 'spite'?

While in some cases nearly identical to spite , grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction. // never one to harbor a grudge

Q: When is 'ill will' a more appropriate choice than 'spite'?

The synonyms ill will and spite are sometimes interchangeable, but ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration. // ill will provoked by a careless remark

Q: When would 'malevolence' be a good substitute for 'spite'?

Although the words malevolence and spite have much in common, malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct. // a look of dark malevolence

Q: When might 'malice' be a better fit than 'spite'?

In some situations, the words malice and spite are roughly equivalent. However, malice implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer. // felt no malice toward their former enemies

Q: When could 'malignity' be used to replace 'spite'?

The words malignity and spite are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness. // a life consumed by motiveless malignity

Q: Where would 'spleen' be a reasonable alternative to 'spite'?

The meanings of spleen and spite largely overlap; however, spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice. // venting his spleen against politicians

spite 1 of 2

noun

ˈspīt

Definition of spite next

as in malice

the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm spread cruel lies out of pure spite

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spite

2 of 2

verb

as in to annoy

to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts sometimes, I swear, she keeps doing that just to spite me

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How does the noun spite differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of spite are grudge, ill will, malevolence, malice, malignity, and spleen. While all these words mean "the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress," spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments.

petty insults inspired by spite

In what contexts can grudge take the place of spite?

While in some cases nearly identical to spite, grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction.

never one to harbor a grudge

When is ill will a more appropriate choice than spite?

The synonyms ill will and spite are sometimes interchangeable, but ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration.

ill will provoked by a careless remark

When would malevolence be a good substitute for spite?

Although the words malevolence and spite have much in common, malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct.

a look of dark malevolence

When might malice be a better fit than spite?

In some situations, the words malice and spite are roughly equivalent. However, malice implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer.

felt no malice toward their former enemies

When could malignity be used to replace spite?

The words malignity and spite are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness.

a life consumed by motiveless malignity

Where would spleen be a reasonable alternative to spite?

The meanings of spleen and spite largely overlap; however, spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice.

venting his spleen against politicians

Examples of spite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In spite of shedding subscribers, Disney+ revenues continue to grow as the service focuses on a higher ARPU customer funnel, the report said. —

Patrick Frater, Variety, 15 Aug. 2024 The reality is that every Black gymnast who succeeds does so against insurmountable odds in spite of their Blackness, not because of it. —

Giana Levy, refinery29.com, 14 Aug. 2024

Verb

The calendar is finite, so Swift's releases are likely to be less about spiting other artists and more about limited space, and Rukasin may have been motivated less by this particular gripe and more by a general dislike of Swift as an artist. —

Aja Romano, Vox, 1 June 2024 In short, don’t be jealous of lovey-dovey couples or parade your relationship all over social media to spite the singles — instead, have an old friend for dinner. —

Brooke Knisley, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2024 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.

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“Spite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spite. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.

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Last Updated: 4 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences

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Synonyms of spite

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verb

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