as in cynics
a person who spoils the pleasure of others
if you don't want to play, at least don't be a spoilsport
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Recent Examples of spoilsports
The spoilsports need to get back to their home state and do the job which their constituents elected them to do.
—
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoilsports
Noun
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The dollar amount was chosen arbitrarily based on what voters might accept, and some cynics saw it as a move by a pro-development commission to cozy up to environmentalists.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
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However, those cynics didn’t sound as enlightened when the Rockets were up 18 early in the fourth quarter Saturday night.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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If the crabs were killed by fish, other research suggested there would be no crab remains left on the end of the tether line.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
16 Mar. 2026
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Sweet Sea Creatures In this Easter egg design, kids can create their own turtles, crabs, octopuses—or any type of fish!—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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If family needs cause drama, set kind boundaries and explain them to any complainers.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
2 Jan. 2026
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The faculty experience has been that administrations often side with the complainers.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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So far, the push into high-tech industries has not been able to offset the growth drags.—
Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
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It's left Richard Lapsoey and his neighbors at the more than 220 units at Walnut Ridge Townhomes above the bridge, with few options to get to the main drags, adding possibly five to 10 minutes to their drives.—
Lauren Linder,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Her books were their progeny, Stein acknowledged, and without Alice’s mothering—and typing, proofreading, cooking, sewing, shopping, bookkeeping, and warding off bores—they might not have been born.—
Judith Thurman,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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Anyone who thinks English Heritage sites are run by bores is in for a surprise.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spoilsports.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoilsports. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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