1
as in marring
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
too much coddling will spoil the child
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition
the meat has spoiled
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in spoiled
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in rotting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiling
Verb
-
Just remember to label your edibles clearly and let everyone know the potency before indulging.—
Matt Rozo,
The Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2025 -
In America, self-control is framed as a personal choice — a way to get in shape or prove mental toughness before indulging again.—
Julie Cobalt,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Then came the yacht’s renaissance by her father, who saw beauty and sailing prowess inside a rotting hull.—
Tristan Rutherford,
Robb Report,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Rotting Flesh and the Skeleton Underneath Eggers wanted the audience almost to smell the rotting flesh when the sarcophagus is flipped open.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
He was once asked to accept a dead whale; another time, an entire shipping container of rotten garlic.—
Kyra Morris,
The Atlantic,
22 Aug. 2025
-
However, many of the houses required significant repairs, such as removing rotten floorboards or other major renovations, which would have added extra costs beyond the home’s asking price.—
Jessica Alvarado Gamez,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The organization sought help from city and private agencies, banks, philanthropies and local businesses to rescue a community that had become a national symbol of urban decay.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Aug. 2025
-
But beyond its aesthetically pleasing packaging, this toothpaste works wonders by whitening teeth and helping prevent tooth decay, tartar, and plaque.—
Iman Balagam,
Vogue,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Their reasoning is that these products are poisoning Americans.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
-
An Aurora dentist accused of fatally poisoning his wife in 2023 allegedly tried to pay a fellow jail inmate $20,000 to kill the case's lead investigator, prosecutors said in court Friday.—
Axios Denver,
Axios,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Hoss — who’s sensual and full of sad, smiling bewilderment without ever disintegrating into ditziness — makes a mature, deeply poignant Ranevskaya.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Marvel at the firework display of disintegrating foes; revel in your might as a pair of badass demon slayers.—
Lewis Gordon,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Authorities accused an Arlington Heights man of hitting and injuring a Chicago Police officer while driving under the influence Sunday on the West side, according to a news release.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2025
-
They two men are also charged with injuring another person, according to Patch.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Populists seized upon it to argue that China’s 2001 accession to the World Trade Organization caused millions of job losses in the U.S. and social disintegration.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
5 June 2025
-
The disintegration of the old Soviet bloc, and the subsequent collapse of North Korea’s economy, created a yawning gap between North and South Korea in their conventional weapons abilities.—
Choe Sang-Hun,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Spoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiling. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share