as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown
spoiled milk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or chiefly British spoilt
1
as in tainted
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
too much coddling will spoil the child
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
the meat has spoiled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in damaged
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
know when to stop, for an unnecessary brushstroke can spoil a painted portrait
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in indulged
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of spoiled
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Those items were immediately discarded, and staff received additional guidance on properly identifying and removing spoiled produce.
—Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
When residents and small businesses sought reimbursement for spoiled food, lost revenue, and emergency expenses, many found their claims rejected by Con Edison.
—Shahana Hanif, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
At her very best, Emily behaves like a petulant pre-adolescent spoiled imp.
—Liza Lentini, SPIN, 14 Apr. 2026
The bins — often containing wheat, oats or barley — also bring additional risks because grain dust accumulation can contribute to fire hazards, spoiled grain can expose workers to potentially toxic substances and falling into the grain can quickly swallow and suffocate a person.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Even the leader of the free world can exhibit the impetuous, manipulative, disruptive behaviors of a spoiled child — behaviors that go beyond classroom disruptions and that can potentially disrupt the entire world.
—Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the actual voter can call the registrar and ask for his/her ballot, just as for spoiled or torn ballots.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
For years, lawyers have alleged that inmates receive expired, undercooked or contaminated food, including spoiled meat and deteriorated dairy products.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Don Riddell, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
Toronto's comeback spoiled a strong, six-inning start by Shohei Ohtani, who allowed one run and four hits.
—CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
The Illini went from 21 losses to 21 wins in his sophomore season in 2019-20, and only the season-ending pandemic spoiled a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
In the 1960s, our nation was spoiled.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
Batherson spoiled Wallstedt’s shutout attempt with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Nobody online knew for sure until the publication of a TMZ story that—intentionally or not—essentially spoiled the film, launching a whole new cycle of conversation about The Drama.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 3 Apr. 2026
Alvarez spoiled both, then took a fastball over the outer half and turned to trudge back to his dugout.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2026
The nightmarish sequence spoiled a night that began with the Angels showing more promising signs at the plate.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Hally’s vindictive turn is a betrayal, not just of their bond, but of the dream of a more equitable South Africa that could tolerate a Black man being a mentor to a spoiled, brokenhearted white kid.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Those items were immediately discarded, and staff received additional guidance on properly identifying and removing spoiled produce.
—Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
When residents and small businesses sought reimbursement for spoiled food, lost revenue, and emergency expenses, many found their claims rejected by Con Edison.
—Shahana Hanif, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
At her very best, Emily behaves like a petulant pre-adolescent spoiled imp.
—Liza Lentini, SPIN, 14 Apr. 2026
The bins — often containing wheat, oats or barley — also bring additional risks because grain dust accumulation can contribute to fire hazards, spoiled grain can expose workers to potentially toxic substances and falling into the grain can quickly swallow and suffocate a person.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Even the leader of the free world can exhibit the impetuous, manipulative, disruptive behaviors of a spoiled child — behaviors that go beyond classroom disruptions and that can potentially disrupt the entire world.
—Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the actual voter can call the registrar and ask for his/her ballot, just as for spoiled or torn ballots.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
For years, lawyers have alleged that inmates receive expired, undercooked or contaminated food, including spoiled meat and deteriorated dairy products.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
Golf is a good walk spoiled, Mark Twain was purported to have said, but surely nobody could ever say that about a day at The Masters – and especially the greenest of thumbs are guaranteed to leave Augusta National green with envy.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
Toronto's comeback spoiled a strong, six-inning start by Shohei Ohtani, who allowed one run and four hits.
—CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
The Illini went from 21 losses to 21 wins in his sophomore season in 2019-20, and only the season-ending pandemic spoiled a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
In the 1960s, our nation was spoiled.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
Batherson spoiled Wallstedt’s shutout attempt with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Nobody online knew for sure until the publication of a TMZ story that—intentionally or not—essentially spoiled the film, launching a whole new cycle of conversation about The Drama.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 3 Apr. 2026
Alvarez spoiled both, then took a fastball over the outer half and turned to trudge back to his dugout.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2026
The nightmarish sequence spoiled a night that began with the Angels showing more promising signs at the plate.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiled
Adjective
-
Facing eviction, this next generation of ‘rotten’ kids plot to break into the factory, nab a priceless Wonka Bar, and save their homes.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Hamlet reminds us that things are rotten not just in the state of Denmark but just about everywhere.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Now, the school is feeling some of the same competitive pressure its public school neighbors have been feeling – because, in Cedar Rapids' new, competitive marketplace, its product has gone from shiny and new to questionable and perhaps tainted.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
-
There, Quenneville’s triumphs were later tainted by an organizational scandal that left him barred by the league for several seasons prior to joining the Ducks.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The body was so badly decomposed that the deceased’s gender could not be determined, said police.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Clements said the mistaken identification may have happened because the creature decomposed and lost its telltale shell before it was fossilized, complicating identification.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Wielding an axe, the 26-year-old Englewood resident damaged the hoods and windows of a dozen cars parked in the lot, causing more than $75,000 in damage, prosecutors said.—
Rebecca Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
-
This is the 24th Cygnus spacecraft built, but 23rd to launch after the NG-22 mission was canceled when its spacecraft was damaged.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His appetite for complexity was increasingly indulged as a means of branding cities and institutions, and his novel forms were deployed as blunt metaphors to absorb and obscure contradictions rather than negotiate them in material and spatial terms.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The custodian of the maison’s some 20,000 documents, fragments, and objects is the effervescent Sophie Rouart, who indulged me in pulling any style of my choosing.—
Stephanie Sporn,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Weinstein’s lawyers have argued that his New York conviction last year was poisoned by bad blood among jurors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Could Ty Jones, whose autopsy said the 33-year-old died of heart issues, have been poisoned too?—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The ceiling was noticeably bowed, and the floor was partly rotted.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Conley could’ve rotted away in Chicago.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But her career has been marred by high-profile incidents — including being photographed in 2007 with a freshly shaven head hitting a car with an umbrella.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Sunday’s vote was marred by delays in distributing electoral materials in several districts of Lima, forcing authorities to extend voting into Monday.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiled. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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