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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Actual malice means a reporter or press outlet knew their story was false or else acted with reckless disregard for the truth.—
Stephanie A,
The Conversation,
4 Aug. 2025 -
Betrayal beyond one’s control may involve situations like forgetting an important date due to stress or feeling overwhelmed, hurting others’ feelings unintentionally by making careless comments or blunders made out of misunderstanding rather than malice.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Noun
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The venom from just one snail is hypothesized to have the potential to kill up to 700 humans, according to a report published in the National Library of Medicine.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
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Read more: Customs issues strong warning: Travelers in Florida could lose these ‘privileges’ Scorpion venom Murdock’s post explained that the bottle seized from the traveler arriving from Cuba contained scorpion venom.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Grier in particular could be a literal ball-buster, although her characters’ hatred of bad men was often matched by their desire for a good one.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
20 Aug. 2025
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Hamas doesn't care about the suffering of children, only about weaponizing their pain to spread hatred against Israel.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The driver was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of DUI and two counts of willful cruelty to a child.—
Cathie Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
12 Aug. 2025
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Norwalk police on April 22 arrested her on one count of animal cruelty, records show.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In spite of that, there was time to savor Friday’s win over the mighty West champs.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
16 Aug. 2025
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The Denver Broncos were one of the NFL's most pleasant surprises last season, going 10-7 and making the playoffs in spite of starting a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Spitefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spitefulness. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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