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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spoiled
Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Rebellions were common and pitted spoiled students against helpless teachers.
—Thomas Adam, The Conversation, 29 May 2026
Gunther called Cody a spoiled brat.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
On the surface, Nellie (Dunn) is a world-class spoiled princess and a playground bully.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 27 May 2026
And Jude isn’t above including a mocking slow-motion shot of a spoiled French boy totally whiffing a soccer kick.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
After today, his legacy and his political future will forever be tainted and spoiled.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
According to public health data, these specific illnesses are typically triggered by undercooked food, spoiled food, or through bacteria that are transmitted directly from a sick person serving food.
—La'tasha Givens, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Also look for Janelle Monáe, who’s both amusing and charismatic as a spoiled trophy wife.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 May 2026
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
This expansion has been rumored/teased for a long while now, and it was set to release during a streaming event tomorrow, but its own launcher spoiled the fun by putting up the announcement early.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Between Smart Brick technology and the other sets, Lego Star Wars fans are spoiled for choice.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 27 May 2026
Austria spoiled Devin Cooley’s shutout bid late in the second, but the Americans held on comfortably enough to keep their title defense alive.
—Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
Tenants say the food spoiled after sitting in the community room for three days.
—Mamie Bah, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Tablets and detachable 2-in-1s give shoppers more versatility than mere laptops, and you are spoiled for choice when shopping for any of these devices for your business or your own work in 2026.
—Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 23 May 2026
After the Oilers spoiled Game 1 with a late win, some of Anaheim’s young guns quickly answered those questions.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 20 May 2026
The bad inning spoiled an otherwise strong pitching effort by A’s starter Jeffrey Springs, whose record dipped to 3-4.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
Adjective
Tensions first escalated over Memorial Day weekend when hundreds of detainees went on a hunger strike to protest spoiled food and wretched conditions, some of their lawyers said.
—Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Rebellions were common and pitted spoiled students against helpless teachers.
—Thomas Adam, The Conversation, 29 May 2026
Gunther called Cody a spoiled brat.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
On the surface, Nellie (Dunn) is a world-class spoiled princess and a playground bully.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 27 May 2026
And Jude isn’t above including a mocking slow-motion shot of a spoiled French boy totally whiffing a soccer kick.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
After today, his legacy and his political future will forever be tainted and spoiled.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
According to public health data, these specific illnesses are typically triggered by undercooked food, spoiled food, or through bacteria that are transmitted directly from a sick person serving food.
—La'tasha Givens, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Also look for Janelle Monáe, who’s both amusing and charismatic as a spoiled trophy wife.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 May 2026
Verb
San Francisco spoiled a rare Rockies shutout with a two-run homer in the eighth by Drew Gilbert off reliever Blas Castano.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
This expansion has been rumored/teased for a long while now, and it was set to release during a streaming event tomorrow, but its own launcher spoiled the fun by putting up the announcement early.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Between Smart Brick technology and the other sets, Lego Star Wars fans are spoiled for choice.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 27 May 2026
Austria spoiled Devin Cooley’s shutout bid late in the second, but the Americans held on comfortably enough to keep their title defense alive.
—Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
Tenants say the food spoiled after sitting in the community room for three days.
—Mamie Bah, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Tablets and detachable 2-in-1s give shoppers more versatility than mere laptops, and you are spoiled for choice when shopping for any of these devices for your business or your own work in 2026.
—Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 23 May 2026
After the Oilers spoiled Game 1 with a late win, some of Anaheim’s young guns quickly answered those questions.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 20 May 2026
The bad inning spoiled an otherwise strong pitching effort by A’s starter Jeffrey Springs, whose record dipped to 3-4.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiled
Adjective
-
Anyone on the market for a new house over the past six years has had rotten luck.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
Advocates say the rotten food and lack of basic medical care is so bad some detainees are even on a hunger strike.—
Nick Caloway,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Otherwise, journalism may be perceived as misleading the audience, prompting people to turn to other sources of information that may be tainted by self-interest rather than public interest.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
28 May 2026
-
The court ruled unanimously that Hill had irreparably tainted the proceedings against Murdaugh in his high-profile trial over the shooting deaths of his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie.—
Michael Ruiz , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
There have been in-kind donations, and the city has contributed materials such as gravel and decomposed granite for walking paths.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
Biodegradable waste consists of organic materials, such as food scraps, vegetable peels, paper, leaves, and agricultural residues, that can be decomposed naturally through microbial processes.—
Aman Kumar,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
So began the journey to create a hideaway resort sensitive to the natural environment and a marine reserve with the aim to recover the coral reefs damaged by dynamite fishing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
-
The real risk starts when a pan gets too hot, too damaged or used in the wrong way.—
Ryan Brennan
June 2,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
These men considered the loss of control that such behavior implied-an animal urge indulged by weak men lacking the courage to fight other men directly-to be shameful.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
Perhaps the latter must be indulged a bit to build a platform for the former—forests sometimes need to burn in order to thrive.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
He was buried alive on a construction site and then poisoned by a venomous rattlesnake that crawled into his coffin and attacked him.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Just months after Netflix announced its plans to produce the series, Lin was poisoned and killed at age 39.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Pots simmered on the stove with paella, fruit rotted in bowls next to the junk mail, and the pantry was full of old rusted cans of strange unearthly edibles—bamboo shoots and snails in sauce and lemons floating in brine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
-
That last line is a nod for the brain-rotted among us.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The case has been marred by controversy, racial tension and threats, while drawing national attention, particularly on social media.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
-
Now adults, after a childhood marred with tragedy, Guin flogs a memoir only tangentially related to the truth, and Ennis stages a new art exhibit, despite what happened at the last one.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiled. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
