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

That’s 10 games against teams that don’t have much to play for, aside from spoiling Toronto’s season. — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Read on to learn about how long chicken broth lasts in the pantry and the fridge, signs of spoiling, how to freeze it, and how to make it. — Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2026 Related Stories Without spoiling the often jaw-dropping twists, Giuliano, who both wrote and directed the feature, has made a must-see film for genre fans. — William Earl, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 For those who love spoiling their beloved pets, here are some of the top credit cards to consider. — Ryley Amond, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026 Swanberg is focussed on his theoretical vision of modern romance—and forgive me for not spoiling it, but the ironies are whiplash-keen and psychologically audacious. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2026 To say more about director George Roy Hill’s remarkably gratifying thriller would risk spoiling it. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026 CyberLeek is also threatening to post in-game footage spoiling the game’s story. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026 Without spoiling anything, Annie spends her time on the island untangling her family lore and figuring out what comes next—all in a place where getting around requires a boat. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 20 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiling

Adjective

None of its marks seem to maintain their integrity for more than an inch or two without being fretted or spoiled.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
People are throwing out spoiled food and lining up for hot meals, according to reports, while searching for laundromats, working Wi-Fi, cleaning wipes and diapers.

— Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of spoiled

Noun

Turning from Howard Street, drivers could easily think Hamilton is just a squalid dead-end or a route to more decay.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026
However, since a Higgs boson does not have a spin of its own, the two Z bosons formed during its decay cannot have any odd combinations of spins.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 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

Fifteen months later, 56 decomposing bodies were found at their South Chicago Chapel.

— Susana Mendoza, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026
As excavations for the foundation got underway, bones and decomposing bodies were found, releasing a horrid odor and spreading yellow fever across the island.

— Victoria Davies, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of decomposing

Verb

You can often get prequalified to get a sense of the rate and term a lender is likely to approve you for, without damaging your credit score.

— Dan Avery,Brett Holzhauer, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Zelensky said that a passenger train was also struck in the Mykolaiv region on Wednesday, damaging a railway station and a diesel locomotive.

— Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of damaging

Noun

Understandably, supporters may wonder if this disintegration should pose any lasting cause for concern.

— Beren Cross, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Son of a partisan fighter The son of a World War Two partisan fighter killed in 1945, Mladic was an officer in the old communist Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) when Yugoslavia's disintegration began in 1991.

— Ivana Sekularac, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of disintegration

Cite this Entry

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“Spoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiling. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of spoiling

adjective

noun

verb

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