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, 23 Apr. 2026
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
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
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
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
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
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
-
Here's how to clean a touchscreen without damaging it.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
-
Be sure your mower has a chute blocker and point the chute towards your own property, not the neighbor’s, to avoid making a mess or damaging their cars.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 May 2026
Verb
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In contrast to the first side, side two is a series of four long, moody instrumental electronic pieces, primarily Bowie and Eno indulging their darkest urges.—
Liza Lentini,
SPIN,
15 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Imagine taking the rotten parking meter deal statewide.—
Jackson Potter,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
All around there was the pleasant rotten smell of dead fish in open air.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
Noun
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But more than a decade of decay and corruption scandals have created an infrastructure chokepoint.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
15 May 2026
-
Helium-4 is naturally produced in the mantle through the decay of uranium and thorium, so there’s a lot of it.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Verb
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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 18 May. 2026.
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