as in spoiled
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as in rotting
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in marring
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 decomposing
to go through decomposition
the meat has spoiled
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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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4
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
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Recent Examples of spoiling
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026
Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
The Angels lost to the Mariners, 3-1 in 10 innings, on Friday, spoiling the home opener for an Angel Stadium sell-out crowd of 44,931.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Without spoiling anything for readers, the danger in season two only grows.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
Russo places a few dry paper towels in the bag to absorb excess moisture and prevent spoiling.
—Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 2 Apr. 2026
Freddie Freeman homered off Cade Smith with two outs in the ninth, spoiling Cleveland's shutout bid.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Parker Messick tossed six scoreless innings and the Cleveland Guardians broke the game open with three runs in the seventh inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Monday, spoiling the two-time World Series champions' perfect start.
—CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
The Pakistani leadership isn’t exactly spoiling for a fight.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Many of the nation's 11 million residents struggle to keep food from spoiling.
—Matthew Lee, Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
Noun
The spa With its indoor/outdoor hydrotherapy pool giving onto a pleasant sun terrace as well as an art-deco style indoor pool with an adjacent bar, this is a spoiling spa whatever the season.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
Without spoiling too much, Kane and Palk get to bond over their Kansas City roots in the beginning of the show.
—Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
The Angels lost to the Mariners, 3-1 in 10 innings, on Friday, spoiling the home opener for an Angel Stadium sell-out crowd of 44,931.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Without spoiling anything for readers, the danger in season two only grows.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
Russo places a few dry paper towels in the bag to absorb excess moisture and prevent spoiling.
—Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 2 Apr. 2026
Freddie Freeman homered off Cade Smith with two outs in the ninth, spoiling Cleveland's shutout bid.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Parker Messick tossed six scoreless innings and the Cleveland Guardians broke the game open with three runs in the seventh inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Monday, spoiling the two-time World Series champions' perfect start.
—CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
The Pakistani leadership isn’t exactly spoiling for a fight.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Many of the nation's 11 million residents struggle to keep food from spoiling.
—Matthew Lee, Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiling
Adjective
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Skenes was chased in the first inning earlier in the day by the Mets — as 76ers star Joel Embiid mocked the Pirates ' ace on social media — while Sánchez never pitched into a serious jam against Texas and spoiled manager Skip Schumaker's Texas debut.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
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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
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Ancient lava fields can be seen as dark lunar maria marring the silvery lunar surface, which themselves are threaded with bright streaks of reflective debris strewn across the surface by violent asteroid strikes.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After entering the home, officers found the decomposing body of an 81-year-old woman.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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Over time, the soil improved by decomposing lawn clippings is more absorbent and well-drained.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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An asteroid the size of a house exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk with the force of 440,000 tons of TNT, damaging buildings and injuring more than 1,600 people, according to NASA.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that an airstrike hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building.—
Sam Mednick,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The elder Junod gave off mixed messages, abusing his long-suffering wife while indulging his gifted son.—
Hamilton Cain,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
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There’s a conversation for Nebraska worth indulging this spring.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And that kind of movie almost always tastes rotten — no matter how long it’s been sitting in theaters.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
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He was forced to eat cat litter, cat feces, urine, vomit and rotten spinach, according to court documents.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Samples returned during the Apollo missions have linked this to higher concentrations of heat-producing radioactive elements such as thorium, whose decay likely fueled ancient volcanic eruptions, while much of the rest of the moon remained comparatively cooler.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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Film negatives deteriorate through humidity, chemical decay and physical damage, and without timely intervention, important works risk being lost entirely.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Played by cisgender actress Kathleen Turner, Charles proved to be one of the more divisive characters from Friends, tainting its cultural legacy for some critics.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
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Infected people and dogs had to be prevented from tainting water sources.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiling. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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