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

The Court finds Defendant could not have responded to these instances of 'actual malice' in the First Amended Complaint, as they were not framed as such.

— Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
In October, a Newton County grand jury indicted 43-year-old Taiesha Wilson on charges of malice murder, murder, concealing the death of another, identity theft, and more.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of malice

Noun

After weighing a few options, the team settled on scorpion antivenom, a costly treatment that can be difficult to produce, often involving injecting venom into horses.

— Robert Hart, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026
Existing antivenoms are generally produced by immunizing animals, including horses, with venom and extracting antibodies from their blood.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of venom

Noun

The rioters waved the Confederate flag, a clear symbol of racist hatred.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
At least one person was killed and four people were injured in a shooting near Paris that may have been motivated by Islamophobic hatred, French officials say.

— Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of hatred

Noun

During a recorded interview, police said that Morillo acknowledged his role in their care, and he was arrested on one count of animal cruelty.

— Manuel Bojorquez, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Worse still is cruelty at a level Americans can’t stomach; separation of families, outright brutality against women and the elderly, deaths by indifference, even murder.

— Michael Kiefer, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruelty

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 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of spitefulness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

wraith

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes