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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spitefulness
Noun
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Colt Gray, now 16, has been indicted on 55 felony counts, including four counts of malice murder, according to court documents.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026 -
Nevermind that this is obviously the work of someone acting deliberately, stealthily and with obvious malice – not a drunk stumbling into their homes.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Mad Monarch of Mar-a-Lago is ridiculed worldwide as the babbling fool and face of Satan whose venom is deadly and far-reaching.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Then their own mother turned venom against them, the object of their wounding telling them that the shape of their wounds was never really there.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
What began as skepticism towards AI has curdled into a palpable AI hatred across the American workforce.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
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Given their hatred of Indigenous people, Casey and Frank set out to bring them back, a vengeance mission with echoes of The Searchers.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Newspaper headlines screamed that Welch had called out McCarthy for his cruelty, his ruthlessness and his lies.—
Kristen Monroe,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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Call it the cruelty of small differences.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Ultimately, apart from Natalie voting for Tara out of spite, the table unanimously votes to banish a furious Natalie.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2026
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In spite of their very different style profiles, the stars all rely on Sorel boots.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
20 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Spitefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spitefulness. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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