Synonyms of spoil

spoil 1 of 2

verb

ˈspȯi(-ə)l 

1

as in to taint

to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable

too much coddling will spoil the child

Synonyms & Similar Words

• taint
• mar
• poison
• stain
• darken
• touch
• tarnish
• vitiate
• degrade
• discredit
• distort
• pollute
• blemish
• blacken
• corrupt
• smear
• dirty
• soil
• besmirch
• sully
• discolor
• shame
• disgrace
• blur
• demean
• subvert
• cheapen
• dishonor
• smudge
• pervert
• debase
• tar
• smut
• sink
• deprave
• cloud
• demoralize
• debauch
• besmear
• foul
• twist
• smirch
• abase
• lower
• begrime
• bastardize
• color

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purify
• cleanse
• elevate
• glorify
• magnify
• uplift
• dignify
• ennoble
• enshrine
• hallow

2

as in to decompose

to go through decomposition

the meat has spoiled

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decompose
• disintegrate
• rot
• decay
• perish
• corrupt
• fester
• deteriorate
• mold
• fall apart
• foul
• putrefy
• contaminate
• descend
• crumble
• pollute
• turn
• break down
• sour
• molder
• taint
• go to seed
• defile
• rust
• ferment
• mortify
• curdle
• degenerate
• turn off
• sink
• wither
• decline
• addle
• dilapidate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• grow
• develop
• ripen
• mature
• restore
• age
• renew
• refresh
• improve
• purify
• cleanse
• better
• integrate
• assemble
• compose
• ameliorate
• meliorate

3

as in to damage

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

know when to stop, for an unnecessary brushstroke can spoil a painted portrait

Synonyms & Similar Words

• damage
• injure
• mar
• hurt
• cripple
• weaken
• compromise
• impair
• harm
• break
• erode
• ruin
• destroy
• bloody
• disfigure
• vitiate
• flaw
• undermine
• cross (up)
• deface
• blemish
• deteriorate
• crab
• shatter
• wound
• tarnish
• endamage
• batter
• demolish
• enervate
• wreck
• enfeeble
• wear (away)
• scour
• devastate
• wash out
• blight
• dent
• waste
• botch
• smash
• torture
• ding
• disable
• maim
• torment
• annihilate
• crush
• mutilate
• decimate
• gum (up)
• desolate
• lacerate
• wipe out
• pulverize
• queer
• total
• dint
• tear down
• clobber
• mangle
• lame
• raze
• bash
• hamstring
• dash
• scourge
• bang up
• do in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• help
• repair
• reconstruct
• fix
• rebuild
• patch
• renovate
• cure
• revamp
• mend
• heal
• rectify
• remedy
• rehabilitate
• improve
• better
• enhance
• revise
• perfect
• recondition
• enrich
• edit
• doctor
• remodel
• ameliorate
• refine
• meliorate

4

as in to indulge

to treat with great or excessive care

when they were newlyweds, the wife tended to spoil her husband, but she soon got over that

Synonyms & Similar Words

• indulge
• please
• pamper
• nurse
• baby
• delight
• mother
• coddle
• satisfy
• appease
• cosset
• dandle
• mollycoddle
• humor
• cocker
• cater (to)
• gladden
• gratify
• soothe
• wet-nurse
• oblige
• content
• placate
• mollify
• pacify

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restrain
• control
• mistreat
• abuse
• misuse
• oppress
• discipline
• manhandle
• slight
• neglect
• mishandle
• overlook
• maltreat
• ill-treat
• violate
• hurt
• ill-use
• harm
• injure
• molest
• harass
• outrage
• torment
• persecute
• victimize
• torture

spoil

2 of 2

noun

as in loot

valuables stolen or taken by force

the bandits escaped with their lives but not with the spoils

Synonyms & Similar Words

• loot
• plunder
• treasure
• booty
• pillage
• prize
• swag
• catch
• haul
• take
• windfall
• pilferage

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun spoil differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of spoil are booty, loot, plunder, prize, and spoils. While all these words mean "something taken from another by force or craft," spoil, more commonly spoils, applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest.

the spoils of political victory

When would booty be a good substitute for spoil?

Although the words booty and spoil have much in common, booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates.

thieves dividing up their booty

When is it sensible to use loot instead of spoil?

The words loot and spoil are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe.

picked through the ruins for loot

When is plunder a more appropriate choice than spoil?

The synonyms plunder and spoil are sometimes interchangeable, but plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.

a bootlegger's plunder

In what contexts can prize take the place of spoil?

While in some cases nearly identical to spoil, prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy.

the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of spoil

Verb

Decades later, the government was still buying surplus cheese and storing it in vast underground caves in Missouri, Wisconsin, and Kansas, warehouses cool enough to hold the cheese for years without spoiling. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026

In Salinger’s narrative, Pencey is plagued by a population of troubled youth, crooked teachers, and spoiled rich kids, a mixture that often begat abuse. — Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026

Noun

Nowhere is this indifference to people more apparent than in the treatment of female characters (at least the ones who aren’t big splashy cameos) as rewards or status symbols or spoils of war. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026

But Marconi also remembered that Messi would divide the spoils among his teammates, handing out alfajores to other boys. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026