as in spoiled
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Dissimilar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spoiling
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 23 May 2026
Despite a sluggish start, the Atlanta Dream gutted out a 77-72 victory over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday night, spoiling the Wings' home opener and improving their record to 2-0 in the process.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Anyone can shop the deals, but there are a few ways to save when spoiling your pets.
—Liz Knueven, CNBC, 12 May 2026
Going forward, decant items into air-tight containers or store some things (like bread) in the fridge or freezer to avoid spoiling prematurely.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2026
The Grizzlies scored seven times in the fifth inning, highlighted by home runs from Noah Litchfield, Zeke Munoz and Micah Mecucci, pushed across three more in the sixth and added a run in the seventh en route to a 12-8 Palomar League victory, spoiling Senior Day for the Falcons.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2026
In the absence of fridges, fermenting, sun-drying, and preserving in salt were the only ways to keep food from spoiling.
—Boutheina Ben Salem, Vogue, 8 May 2026
Last year, Joe noted the production was taking measures to avoid paparazzi spoiling the movie.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Matthews’ grab came on Contreras’ sacrifice fly in the fifth, spoiling the rally that ended when Trevor Story struck out with the bases loaded.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
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
Deep punctures can allow entry points for bacteria, so check your produce occasionally and use any bruised or damaged items early to keep them from spoiling.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 23 May 2026
Despite a sluggish start, the Atlanta Dream gutted out a 77-72 victory over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday night, spoiling the Wings' home opener and improving their record to 2-0 in the process.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Anyone can shop the deals, but there are a few ways to save when spoiling your pets.
—Liz Knueven, CNBC, 12 May 2026
Going forward, decant items into air-tight containers or store some things (like bread) in the fridge or freezer to avoid spoiling prematurely.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2026
The Grizzlies scored seven times in the fifth inning, highlighted by home runs from Noah Litchfield, Zeke Munoz and Micah Mecucci, pushed across three more in the sixth and added a run in the seventh en route to a 12-8 Palomar League victory, spoiling Senior Day for the Falcons.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2026
In the absence of fridges, fermenting, sun-drying, and preserving in salt were the only ways to keep food from spoiling.
—Boutheina Ben Salem, Vogue, 8 May 2026
Last year, Joe noted the production was taking measures to avoid paparazzi spoiling the movie.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Matthews’ grab came on Contreras’ sacrifice fly in the fifth, spoiling the rally that ended when Trevor Story struck out with the bases loaded.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiling
Adjective
-
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
Verb
-
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
-
From a nearby dumpster there came the sweet and musty smell of decomposing seafood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
The moist interior of pipes can harbor decomposing food, attracting fruit flies from the kitchen itself.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
This was one reason why Qatar left Opec in 2019, damaging the image of a unified Middle Eastern bloc; Angola and Ecuador have also left.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
23 May 2026
-
One action delays deadlines for grocers and other companies to phase out the use of climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons for refrigeration under the 2023 Technology Transitions Rule.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
The charming thing is, McCartney is indulging a lot of youthful crushes in these songs.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
23 May 2026
-
Travel used to be about taking a break from that and indulging.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Food is scarce or goes rotten because of a lack of refrigeration.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
-
That probably rotten piece of flesh.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
The right-hand side of the picture is dominated by an enormous red-brick arch in a moderate but evident state of decay.—
Tyler Green,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
-
Rates below 10 to 12 percent raise immediate red flags about list decay or inflated subscriber numbers.—
Lien De Pau,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
At a time of intensifying divisions at home, a depiction of Ecuador could offer an Edenic, new-world landscape free from the partisanship tainting Church’s New England landscapes.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Now, streaming is tainting the postseason.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiling. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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