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
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Recent Examples of spoiled
Alissa Simon, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
Trump may be a little spoiled, as the Republican-majority high court has supported most of his positions.
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2026
Melling’s scenes all took place in the objectively less exciting muggle universe, occurring along a fairly straightforward arc from spoiled bully to remorseful young adult.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Violations included spoiled ice cream, expired tacos, warm dairy drinks and plumbing issues.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
The idea stems from the belief that children from single-child families tend to develop negative personality characteristics, such as being bossy, spoiled, or not social.
—Cynthia Hanson, Parents, 17 Feb. 2026
Allen is an author who lives on the East Coast with her husband and two spoiled cats.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
Bacteria can grow on spills, spoiled food, and hidden crumbs.
—Kendall Bettle, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Feb. 2026
Why Gasket Maintenance Is Essential A dirty gasket leads to deterioration of the seal, which can cause temperature fluctuations, spoiled food, and bacterial growth.
—Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 31 Jan. 2026
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
When the power fails, businesses close, employees lose wages, and spoiled inventory piles up.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Pavel Dorofeyev had two goals and the Vegas Golden Knights spoiled Artemi Panarin’s Kings debut by scoring five third-period goals to rally for a 6-4 win Wednesday night.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2026
As with every one of these murder-mystery whodunnits, there are many surprises and twists that can easily be spoiled.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026
Cold Hardy Blooms One of the trickiest parts about growing spring planters is that there’s a real risk that planters may be spoiled by a late-season frost or freeze.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 26 Feb. 2026
Until one moment spoiled everything.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 26 Feb. 2026
Pavel Dorofeyev had two goals and the Vegas Golden Knights spoiled Artemi Panarin's Los Angeles debut by scoring five third-period goals to rally for a 6-4 win over the Kings on Wednesday night.
—CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
The Chinese medal bid was spoiled by mistakes from Wang and Li Tianma, the bronze medallist in the men’s, who both crashed on landing after high-difficulty jumps.
—Reuters, NBC news, 21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Smart, capable and quick-witted, Toha’s current joy comes from her relationship with Nelly (Khadija Ahmed), the spoiled granddaughter of her employer (Hanan Youssef), a tetchy, elderly diabetic.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
Trump may be a little spoiled, as the Republican-majority high court has supported most of his positions.
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2026
Melling’s scenes all took place in the objectively less exciting muggle universe, occurring along a fairly straightforward arc from spoiled bully to remorseful young adult.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Violations included spoiled ice cream, expired tacos, warm dairy drinks and plumbing issues.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
The idea stems from the belief that children from single-child families tend to develop negative personality characteristics, such as being bossy, spoiled, or not social.
—Cynthia Hanson, Parents, 17 Feb. 2026
Allen is an author who lives on the East Coast with her husband and two spoiled cats.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
Bacteria can grow on spills, spoiled food, and hidden crumbs.
—Kendall Bettle, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Feb. 2026
Why Gasket Maintenance Is Essential A dirty gasket leads to deterioration of the seal, which can cause temperature fluctuations, spoiled food, and bacterial growth.
—Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
Vegas spoiled Gustavsson’s shutout bid early in the third with a Pavel Dorofeyev goal on their first power play of the game.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
When the power fails, businesses close, employees lose wages, and spoiled inventory piles up.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Pavel Dorofeyev had two goals and the Vegas Golden Knights spoiled Artemi Panarin’s Kings debut by scoring five third-period goals to rally for a 6-4 win Wednesday night.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2026
As with every one of these murder-mystery whodunnits, there are many surprises and twists that can easily be spoiled.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026
Cold Hardy Blooms One of the trickiest parts about growing spring planters is that there’s a real risk that planters may be spoiled by a late-season frost or freeze.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 26 Feb. 2026
Until one moment spoiled everything.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 26 Feb. 2026
Pavel Dorofeyev had two goals and the Vegas Golden Knights spoiled Artemi Panarin's Los Angeles debut by scoring five third-period goals to rally for a 6-4 win over the Kings on Wednesday night.
—CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
The Chinese medal bid was spoiled by mistakes from Wang and Li Tianma, the bronze medallist in the men’s, who both crashed on landing after high-difficulty jumps.
—Reuters, NBC news, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiled
Adjective
-
But it’s most often used in a more contemporary story as an ancestral home of an ancient, perhaps even rotten Establishment.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
False teeth had been used since Colonial years, with various attempts to replace rotten teeth that had been extracted to avoid illness.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Once a sky-blue democracy is restored, may Trump’s days of infamy be ruled illegitimate and his name and legacy duly tainted by all of history, darkly blackened or cautiously reddened in the honest records that this twerp and his twisted cohorts have conspired so heinously to whitewash.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Is there something tainted or cursed about this place?—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In both cases, the remains were decomposed, and appeared that they may have been moved around multiple locations before being discovered, authorities said.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
As water conservation is a priority more than ever, homeowners are discovering sustainable hardscaping options like gravel and decomposed granite.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Years of sanctions and Ukrainian attacks have damaged parts of Russia's energy infrastructure, limiting the speed at which the country can ramp up production or exports.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Seibert’s niece, said her uncle indulged his love of travel the past three years, even going on a road trip to his old haunts in Washington, Idaho and Montana.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Nicholas and three of his playmates at the day care were poisoned by the lethal opioid, which the owners stored in a nap room, officials said.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Other witnesses could include relatives of the defendant and her late husband, and friends of Eric Richins who have recounted phone conversations from the day prosecutors say he was first poisoned by his wife of nine years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
How to Plant Bare Root Roses Carefully inspect the roots and cut off any that are broken, cracked, rotted, or show signs of insect damage.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Dead fruit rotted on withered evergreens, remnants of a record-cold February.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Panthers’ season has been marred by injuries and players running on fumes in the aftermath of three consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final, including winning it all each of the past two years.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Peterson is breathtakingly talented as a scorer and on-ball initiator, but health concerns have marred an otherwise impressive freshman season.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiled. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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