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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This is not a home for doomers, cynics, or know-it-alls.—
Daphne Koller,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
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The belief by cynics is that Netflix wants to be a streaming service.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
26 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Either way, be sure to keep an eye out for the reserve’s native animal population, including fish, crabs, turtles, herons, flamingos, foxes, and dugongs, cousins to the North American manatee.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Jan. 2026
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Other exports, such as Canadian canola meal, lobsters, crabs, and peas will also not be subject to Chinese anti-discrimination tariffs until at least the end of 2026.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 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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Clear tail drags are extremely rare in the fossil record and often disputed, because of how open to interpretation partial marks are – unlike here.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 Dec. 2025
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Germany and Italy were drags on the growth rate, however, as both countries' economies stalled.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
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 6 Feb. 2026.
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