SPITEFUL Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

spiteful

adjective

ˈspīt-fəl

as in malicious

having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it the gossip would utter the most vicious things with a spiteful smile

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of spiteful Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Phil, a spiteful rancher who torments his brother's (Jesse Plemons) new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her sensitive teenage son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), against the backdrop of 1920s Montana. —

Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Apr. 2026 That the spiteful man sees only as far as the spiteful man can, and that can produce a work of art that is successful, but maybe not ultimately great. —

David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026 Tourette’s can feel spiteful and searches out the most upsetting tic for me personally and for those around me. —

Clayton Davis, Variety, 24 Feb. 2026 Melvin Williams, a professor of communication and media studies at Pace University, says the spiteful nature of Swift and Lively's texts doesn't reflect well on either woman − and both have probably lost some fans as a result. —

Charles Trepany, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spiteful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiteful

Adjective

The teenager was arrested for 12 counts of willful/malicious kill/maim/torture animal -- horse and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property over $5,000, authorities said.

— Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 4 June 2026
Justice Stanley Reed’s majority opinion emphasized that what had happened to Francis was accidental and that, without malicious intent, there was no violation of the Eighth Amendment.

— Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 4 June 2026