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
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
This poses a problem for modern restagings—the big twist is pretty much spoiled.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Meals lose nuance, familiar places feel strangely distant, and critical warning signals like smoke, gas or spoiled food become harder to register.
—New Atlas, 12 Jan. 2026
The United Center cheers were nearly spoiled when Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy challenged the game-winner for an offside penalty.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
The middle of three holiday games finds Minnesota out of contention and relegated to a spoiler role here -- although Detroit’s playoff hopes are pretty much spoiled and rotten as is.
—Miami Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
Johnson said the losses extended beyond spoiled meat, hitting his business during one of the busiest weekends of the year.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026
The following day, nearly all of my friend’s food had spoiled, whereas mine lasted nearly all week.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2026
Gaon Choi spoiled Chloe Kim’s bid for a halfpipe three-peat, upsetting the American in dramatic fashion to win gold.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Injuries spoiled the past two years.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
Jane noticed that he was spoiled.
—CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
Against the team that spoiled its last effort to build a dynasty a decade ago.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 8 Feb. 2026
When your teams post four consecutive seasons of at least 24 wins and play in three straight CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship games, you can get spoiled.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
While temperatures rose above freezing Tuesday for the first time in days, a dense, high cloud cover spoiled the chances of efficient ice melting, according to a NWS forecast discussion.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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
This poses a problem for modern restagings—the big twist is pretty much spoiled.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Meals lose nuance, familiar places feel strangely distant, and critical warning signals like smoke, gas or spoiled food become harder to register.
—New Atlas, 12 Jan. 2026
The United Center cheers were nearly spoiled when Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy challenged the game-winner for an offside penalty.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
The middle of three holiday games finds Minnesota out of contention and relegated to a spoiler role here -- although Detroit’s playoff hopes are pretty much spoiled and rotten as is.
—Miami Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
Johnson said the losses extended beyond spoiled meat, hitting his business during one of the busiest weekends of the year.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Verb
In a duel of the top two teams in the West Coast Conference standings, Gonzaga (25-2, 13-1 WCC) spoiled the Broncos’ best start to a season since 1969-70.
—Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026
The following day, nearly all of my friend’s food had spoiled, whereas mine lasted nearly all week.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2026
Gaon Choi spoiled Chloe Kim’s bid for a halfpipe three-peat, upsetting the American in dramatic fashion to win gold.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Injuries spoiled the past two years.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
Jane noticed that he was spoiled.
—CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
Against the team that spoiled its last effort to build a dynasty a decade ago.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 8 Feb. 2026
When your teams post four consecutive seasons of at least 24 wins and play in three straight CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship games, you can get spoiled.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
While temperatures rose above freezing Tuesday for the first time in days, a dense, high cloud cover spoiled the chances of efficient ice melting, according to a NWS forecast discussion.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiled
Adjective
-
Try to get a look below the surface—if anything is broken, damaged, rotten, or desiccated, a simple trim could help.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Repairs to the balcony included removing and replacing rotten support beams, according to an invoice from Ameridian.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That means every angle needs to be screen-ready and not tainted by equipment, crew or the director.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The entire imbroglio proved hugely damaging, not only to Boohoo but also the Leicester garment industry, which was already struggling to cope with the manufacturing shift overseas before the fear of being tainted by scandal led its remaining buyers to flee en masse.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Fifty-six days later, homicide investigators arrive at Oliver’s apartment to find an unidentified body—brutally murdered and intentionally decomposed.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The body was decomposed, a fire official said.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The collapse damaged part of the Potomac Interceptor sewer system and caused an overflow of more than 200 million gallons of wastewater to flow into the Potomac River.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Ellen Rudolph’s home was damaged in the Palisades fire and then her husband died of cancer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 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
-
This friend group is so poisoned.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
-
In 2016, dozens of residents from a subdivision about 20 miles from the Boarmans’ home sued oil giant ConocoPhillips, alleging that years of improper oil field waste disposal had poisoned their drinking water.—
Nick Bowlin,
The Frontier,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Politically, the regime has rotted from within, discarding, discrediting, or detaining its own kind.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2026
-
That includes money to replace a lot of wood that rotted away due to holes in the roof and walls.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But more recently, Clark’s tenure has been marred by dissent and distractions.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The abrupt withdrawal of Microsoft's co-founder dealt a fresh blow to a flagship event already marred by organisational lapses, a robot row and complaints of traffic chaos.—
Aditya Soni,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiled. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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