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
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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, 23 Apr. 2026
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
Sure, he’s driven by vengeance and ruthless in his pursuit, but — without spoiling anything — his motivation is clouded at best, misplaced at worst.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 2026
The ultimate scene packs a punch here — without spoiling things, Abigail Onwunali is particularly powerful in a role that Wilson saves till the eleventh hour, and Boone goes to places at once frightening and devastating.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
The Wilderness guides at Magashi Peninsula are well trained, the accommodation and food spoiling, and the wildlife sightings glorious.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
There is no dumber tradition that's come with this insufferable age of social media than spoiling draft picks.
—Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 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
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
Sure, he’s driven by vengeance and ruthless in his pursuit, but — without spoiling anything — his motivation is clouded at best, misplaced at worst.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 2026
The ultimate scene packs a punch here — without spoiling things, Abigail Onwunali is particularly powerful in a role that Wilson saves till the eleventh hour, and Boone goes to places at once frightening and devastating.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
The Wilderness guides at Magashi Peninsula are well trained, the accommodation and food spoiling, and the wildlife sightings glorious.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
There is no dumber tradition that's come with this insufferable age of social media than spoiling draft picks.
—Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiling
Adjective
-
My girl's gonna get spoiled — that's for sure — from Aunt Julianne.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
-
Ann and Pat later moved to a 10-acre farm east of Franktown, where Schrader gardened, raised hens, spoiled cats and hoisted 50-pound bales of hay among other chores for the family’s eight horses.—
Billie Stanton,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 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
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The search was prompted by soil vapor sampling, an experimental technology that detected volatile organic compounds potentially associated with decomposing human remains — though the method remains unproven in criminal investigations.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years for her role in a scheme that involved hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mothballs have been used in one form or another since the 1800s, primarily as a means to prevent insects and rodents from damaging clothes.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
9 May 2026
-
The robot pledged to respect and follow humans, refrain from damaging property or other robots, abstain from deceptive behavior and save energy by not overcharging.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Serge, indulging his penchant for modern art, buys a large, expensive, completely white painting, with some slightly-less white lines.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
2 May 2026
-
This is a hotel with romance and celebration in mind, whether that means marking a once-in-a-lifetime occasion or indulging a lifelong love of history, art, and design.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell to its lowest level ever recorded, as war in the Middle East caused all demographic groups across age, income, and political party to feel rotten, prior to the announcement of the ceasefire.—
Jill Schlesinger,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
Too much water can lead to rotten roots or fungal infections.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That may be fine for downtown, but none of us in North County signed on for the kind of problems that high density brings — urban decay, crime, traffic and unaffordable housing.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Advertisement Just as Nietzsche warned of the dangers of a nihilist moral void leading to societal decay, the current disregard for responsible data practices could erode trust in institutions and perpetuate systemic inequalities.—
Alice Xiang,
Time,
6 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 12 May. 2026.
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