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
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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
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 June 2026
Mbappé and his teammates were inefficient to start, with poor touches spoiling attacks in and out of the box.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026
Of course, here in Hollywood, spoiling pets isn’t exactly unheard of.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026
But experts say that aside from spoiling a finale for fans, such bets could erode the very business of Hollywood.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 14 June 2026
Republicans have long held on to hope that Valadao might be able to hold on to his San Joaquin Valley district, spoiling Democratic hopes for a flip there.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Paige Bueckers scored 24 points and Azzi Fudd added 17 of her season-high 24 in the third quarter to lift the Dallas Wings to a 91-76 win over the New York Liberty on Sunday, spoiling the season debut of Sabrina Ionescu.
—CBS News, 24 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
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
Color Changes Foods can darken or brown slightly from exposure to oxygen rather than spoiling.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 June 2026
Mbappé and his teammates were inefficient to start, with poor touches spoiling attacks in and out of the box.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026
Of course, here in Hollywood, spoiling pets isn’t exactly unheard of.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026
But experts say that aside from spoiling a finale for fans, such bets could erode the very business of Hollywood.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 14 June 2026
Republicans have long held on to hope that Valadao might be able to hold on to his San Joaquin Valley district, spoiling Democratic hopes for a flip there.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Paige Bueckers scored 24 points and Azzi Fudd added 17 of her season-high 24 in the third quarter to lift the Dallas Wings to a 91-76 win over the New York Liberty on Sunday, spoiling the season debut of Sabrina Ionescu.
—CBS News, 24 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiling
Adjective
-
In a lawsuit filed against ICE last year, another former detainee said he was served spoiled milk.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
9 June 2026
-
In her third season in the WNBA, the once-shining superstar is acting like a spoiled brat.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The decay rate will increase as the spacecraft dips into denser layers of the atmosphere until Swift finally burns up during reentry.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 June 2026
-
The Dirty Beaches founder’s own saxophone and trumpet lead the players’ cut-and-pasted recordings down dark alleys of decay and introspection, backdropped by percussive bangs and scrapes that suggest the construction of some great, mysterious superstructure.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
In Strasbourg, groups of Palace supporters clashed among themselves in a square in the city centre, marring the occasion.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Officials warned that decomposing fish could create potential health hazards for visitors entering the area or attempting to fish.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
-
That’s different from most other types of maggots, which feed on decomposing flesh.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Primary hazards include damaging wind gusts, locally heavy rainfall and frequent lightning strikes, with hail and a brief tornado or waterspout also possible.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 June 2026
-
Nelson is doing fine now In 2000, Nelson was diagnosed with HIV and sarcoidosis, a condition that went into remission until a severe case of Legionnaires’ disease in 2021 reactivated it, damaging both his lungs and liver.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Verb
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In addition to streamlining operations and closing underperforming restaurants, Adamolekun and Red Lobster are engaging with customers and indulging their nostalgia.—
Teresa Mull,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
Thank you for indulging me on that.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Consequently, between Dick’s stubborn disposition and the fun the Indians had, Dick never worked much and was spoiled rotten.—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
-
Hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs and ammonia gives off notes of urine, sweat or dead fish.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
There were reasons aplenty for the disintegration of their form.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
This test will also be suborbital and is aimed at showing the new hardware works as expected; most previous Starship tests have ended in an explosion or with the disintegration of the rocket, although the most recent two tests were successful.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiling. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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