spoiling 1 of 3

adjective

as in spoiled

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spoiling

2 of 3

noun

as in rotting

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spoiling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of spoil
1
as in marring
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable too much coddling will spoil the child

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2
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition the meat has spoiled

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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

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
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 what happens next, the mutants confront Trask, and Mystique assumes his identity to further their mission. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026 Decades later, the government was still buying surplus cheese and storing it in vast underground caves in Missouri, Wisconsin, and Kansas, warehouses cool enough to hold the cheese for years without spoiling. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026 The heat won’t be the only thing spoiling New Yorkers’ fun in the sun this weekend. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026 Without spoiling too much, there is a detour on this treasure hunt that leads Diarra and company into Tubi movie situation. — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 Testing by Adam Dolge at Food & Wine found that covering the stem end of a grocery store tomato with tape kept it from spoiling the longest, a full 9 days, while other methods lasted 6 days or less. — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2026 Without spoiling Gluck’s revised ending, Braun’s version at least understood that choosing someone because society insists your time is running out is a terrific way to trap yourself in a miserable future. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiling
  1. spoiled
  2. decay
  3. marring
  4. decomposing
  5. damaging
  6. indulging
  7. rotten
  8. disintegration
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
  • Ewa Mroczkowska’s production design also turns dewy embankments, decadent interiors, and sunrises over cemeteries into visions of storybook-like decay.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • One of them in particular, portrayed with vicious snark by Vicky Krieps, revels in the moral decay of her times, thirsting for blood.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 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
  • The charges against include federal hate crimes and damaging religious property resulting in bodily injury.
    — Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • But are there ways to lower your card rates without damaging your credit score?
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of damaging
Verb
  • And of course there’s a bookstore in town for indulging your inner Rory.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • From turning heads on the sidewalk to indulging at a local pub, the London native hits the streets with a touch of British humor and charm.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of indulging
Adjective
  • Being pelted on the world’s stage with the modern equivalent of rotten tomatoes – memes and scathing online posts – hasn't kept the dancer, born Rachael Gunn, from laughing.
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • His last Netflix partnership, the miniseries Zero Day, put up rotten scores.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of rotten
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

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Spoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiling. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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