SPOILING Synonyms: 373 Similar and Opposite Words

spoiling 1 of 3

adjective

as in spoiled

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spoiling

2 of 3

noun

as in rotting

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Dissimilar Words

spoiling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of spoil

as in marring

to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable too much coddling will spoil the child

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as in decomposing

to go through decomposition the meat has spoiled

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as in damaging

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of know when to stop, for an unnecessary brushstroke can spoil a painted portrait

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as in indulging

to treat with great or excessive care when they were newlyweds, the wife tended to spoil her husband, but she soon got over that

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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 spoiling

Noun

Food and drink Wilderness is known for serving polished but healthy modern bush fare that’s tasty and spoiling, but not overly rich. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

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 The heat won’t be the only thing spoiling New Yorkers’ fun in the sun this weekend. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026 Without spoiling too much, there is a detour on this treasure hunt that leads Diarra and company into Tubi movie situation. — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 Testing by Adam Dolge at Food & Wine found that covering the stem end of a grocery store tomato with tape kept it from spoiling the longest, a full 9 days, while other methods lasted 6 days or less. — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2026 Without spoiling Gluck’s revised ending, Braun’s version at least understood that choosing someone because society insists your time is running out is a terrific way to trap yourself in a miserable future. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026 Without spoiling the upcoming season, De Oliveira told Fox News Digital what sets the third season apart from the rest. — Janelle Ash , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026 Ballot spoiling was the subject of a 2022 lawsuit brought by a Republican group. — Scott Bauer, Twin Cities, 29 July 2026 The Bandits put together a rally in the bottom of the seventh, spoiling Fouts’ shutout performance as Skylar Wallace laced an RBI single into left to bring home Keirstin Roose. — Molly Keshin, New York Times, 26 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiling

Adjective

Papayas that are mostly green are not ripe, while those with many soft spots or darker, shriveled skin are overripe or spoiled.

— Sherri Gordon, Health, 2 Aug. 2026
The city is now focused on spoiled food waste cleanup, interim housing for affected residents, and fining Lineage over ongoing air quality issues.

— Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of spoiled

Noun

Voyager 2 and its twin launched in 1977, called Voyager 1, rely on a form of nuclear battery known as a radioisotope thermoelectric generator that uses the heat produced by the decay of plutonium.

— Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Tritium undergoes radioactive decay, emitting particles that can degrade porous materials over time.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

To prevent a similar war from happening again, Menelaus scarred her face, permanently marring her famous beauty.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Lined with live oaks and old-fashioned, busy storefronts, this artsy town on the Gulf of Mexico has no commercial development marring its shoreline.

— Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 16 June 2026

Definition of marring

Verb

The case dates to March 11, 2022, when police in the Central Valley city of Merced found the girl’s decomposing body in the basement bathroom of a house.

— Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
Authorities said the remains included bones believed to belong to four newborns and the decomposing body of a fifth.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of decomposing

Verb

There are different types of algae scrapers for both glass and acrylic fish tanks, so choose accordingly to avoid scratching or damaging the aquarium.

— BestReviews, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
Use low-pressure water to avoid damaging the aluminum fins and causing performance issues.

— Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of damaging

Verb

Bardstown Bourbon Company, which is well known for indulging its experimental impulses, decided to blend together bourbon and rye and finish it in pineapple rum barrels with pieces of pineapple added to the whiskey for good measure.

— Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2026
On that note, resist the urge to bury discomfort by indulging, shopping or being stubbornly silent.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026

Definition of indulging

Adjective

The meeting comes after Lineage Logistics, which operates the 500,000-square-foot facility, has already been cited by AQMD officials for the rotten odor.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
The veal barn had a smell Birdie had never smelled anywhere else—antiseptic, then sweet like a flower and rotten like manure.

— Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of rotten

Noun

Marvel’s most ambitious crossover event and most ambitious disintegration of said crossover event, Infinity War delivers in both devastating and groundbreaking fashion.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
His employer, the Seattle Mariners, was dealing with financial uncertainty following the disintegration of their regional sports network.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of disintegration

Cite this Entry

Style

“Spoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiling. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of spoiling

adjective

noun

verb

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