spitefully

adverb

as in despitefully
in a mean or spiteful manner spitefully told the orphans that they'd never amount to anything

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spitefully
  1. despitefully
  2. bitterly
  3. maliciously
  4. viciously
  5. malevolently
  6. wickedly
Adverb
  • In other words, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.
    — Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Definition of despitefully
Adverb
  • Alberto learns that his grandfather—whom his mother, Teresa (Lola Dueñas), was bitterly estranged from and never introduced her son to—has recently died and left him a curious inheritance, a mystery that needs untangling.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The race is widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's nearly unbroken 17-year rule, which had left Israelis bitterly divided on a host of issues even before the deadliest attack in the country's history.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • Black, who helped found private equity giant Apollo Global Management, accused Garcia of making maliciously false statements, citing statements the ranking member of the House oversight committee made in interviews.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Those statements were false and were made maliciously, Black asserts through his lawyers.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of maliciously
Adverb
  • Then a month later, Darryl was viciously attacked by an inmate.
    — Josh Eells, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Poor Melanie is swarmed and viciously attacked until Mitch comes to her rescue in a scene that is visceral and frightening.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of viciously
Adverb
  • Images of Labubus beamed malevolently from their packaging, as if gloating in their unreachability.
    — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025
Definition of malevolently
Adverb
  • Elle Fanning stars as a wickedly mischievous Catherine, with Nicholas Hoult in the dual role of her husband, the petulant manchild Emperor Peter III, and his body double, Yemelyan Pugachev.
    — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Hadid smiles wickedly at the memory of her team presenting to her huge poster boards plastered with images of herself every time she had been photographed in jeans through the years.
    — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of wickedly
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.

Browse Nearby Words

spiteful
spitefully
spitefulness
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Cite this Entry

“Spitefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spitefully. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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