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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Meester holds her cards close to her chest, leaving us to wonder whether Joanne is being spiteful and shallow (given her trajectory … probably) or whether this woman is really that unbearable.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Several diss tracks followed, with the musicians hurling increasingly spiteful insults at each other relating to accusations of domestic abuse, exploitation and pedophilia.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2025
They were clouded by an entire era of underperformance, tough luck and spiteful ownership.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Being consumed by negative emotions like envy or engaging in spiteful behavior does nobody any good.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiteful
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Several diss tracks followed, with the musicians hurling increasingly spiteful insults at each other relating to accusations of domestic abuse, exploitation and pedophilia.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2025
They were clouded by an entire era of underperformance, tough luck and spiteful ownership.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Being consumed by negative emotions like envy or engaging in spiteful behavior does nobody any good.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiteful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiteful
Adjective
-
The attack also bears similarities to the tactics of a Russian bad actor group that targeted Russian Wiki pages years ago, suggesting the malicious Javascript originated from a much earlier vandalism campaign.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In testimony Tuesday, Jared Birchall, Musk’s longtime business manager and confidante, said that his boss’s tweets four years ago were prompted by frustration, and not a malicious effort to sink the stock.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That’s the cruel beauty of golf.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Few Iranians will mourn the demise of the cruel and murderous Ayatollah Khamenei or his cohorts, and a large segment of Iranians want the corrupt religious regime gone.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Ironically, that war emboldened Iran, as the vicious Iraqi strongman was a regional counterbalance to the vicious mullahs.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The Islamic State, or ISIS, the most vicious terror group ever, found Iraq to be the perfect launching pad for its marauders.—
Nolan Finley,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This has allowed this unauthorized user unfettered access to those frequencies to transmit hateful and threatening messaging, potentially disrupting vital police, fire and EMS communications.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
People also can pass out political literature and engage in hateful speech for the most part.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Vonn’s hugely successful World Cup season at age 41 was ended by a nasty crash one month ago at the Milan Cortina Olympics that wrecked her left leg.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In the first inning of the club’s matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon, Sal Frelick waved haplessly at a nasty changeup from Edward Cabrera for his first strikeout of the day.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spiteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiteful. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
