SPITEFULNESS Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

spitefulness

noun

as in malice

the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm cut down their neighbors' tree out of sheer spitefulness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spitefulness

Noun

But on Wednesday, the jury in the latest trial found that MGA had not acted with malice, meaning no punitive damages would be awarded.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2026
The company’s own investigation points less to malice than to a process that never engaged.

— Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of malice

Noun

Each venom is a unique cocktail of peptides and proteins that can cause muscular paralysis, tissue destruction, cardiac arrest, or other effects.

— Steve Midway, STAT, 16 July 2026
Given the absence of venom, the researchers propose that these arachnids likely use strong raptorial pedipalps (claw-like appendages).

— Jay Kakade July 13, New Atlas, 14 July 2026

Definition of venom

Noun

Shifrin, too, had once only seen the mountain as a symbol of hatred.

— John Blake, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
But although few, then, could possibly have foreseen the cataclysm of the twentieth-century wars, the hatred was already there in the anti-semitism of old France, in the divisions over Dreyfus.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026

Definition of hatred

Noun

Gail Giustino, 77, was arrested and charged with two misdemeanors, including animal cruelty and confining an animal without sufficient food or water, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek shared in a press conference on Monday, July 20.

— Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
The animal-cruelty fight is part of a broader pretrial battle over how jurors will see the couple’s volatile relationship.

— Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2026

Definition of cruelty

Noun

In spite of their original values of humanitarianism and neutrality, these organizations have been morally debased from within, using the language of human rights and international justice yet deploying it on behalf of autocracies and against the liberal democracies that created them.

— Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
The ball got away from Witt at short in spite of his best efforts to keep it on the infield.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2026

Definition of spite

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

spitefully

spitefulness

spites

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Spitefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spitefulness. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of spitefulness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

itinerant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes