as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown
spoiled milk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or chiefly British spoilt
1
as in tainted
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
too much coddling will spoil the child
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
the meat has spoiled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in damaged
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 indulged
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
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 spoiled
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Those items were immediately discarded, and staff received additional guidance on properly identifying and removing spoiled produce.
—Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
When residents and small businesses sought reimbursement for spoiled food, lost revenue, and emergency expenses, many found their claims rejected by Con Edison.
—Shahana Hanif, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
At her very best, Emily behaves like a petulant pre-adolescent spoiled imp.
—Liza Lentini, SPIN, 14 Apr. 2026
The bins — often containing wheat, oats or barley — also bring additional risks because grain dust accumulation can contribute to fire hazards, spoiled grain can expose workers to potentially toxic substances and falling into the grain can quickly swallow and suffocate a person.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Even the leader of the free world can exhibit the impetuous, manipulative, disruptive behaviors of a spoiled child — behaviors that go beyond classroom disruptions and that can potentially disrupt the entire world.
—Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the actual voter can call the registrar and ask for his/her ballot, just as for spoiled or torn ballots.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
For years, lawyers have alleged that inmates receive expired, undercooked or contaminated food, including spoiled meat and deteriorated dairy products.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
This sprout is the early stage of a new garlic plant forming inside the clove, not a sign that your garlic has spoiled.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
According to the inspection report, officials found the school in violation for having spoiled or contaminated food.
—Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
The city contacted the voter who requested both ballots be spoiled and a new ballot was issued.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Golf is a good walk spoiled, Mark Twain was purported to have said, but surely nobody could ever say that about a day at The Masters – and especially the greenest of thumbs are guaranteed to leave Augusta National green with envy.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
In the 1960s, our nation was spoiled.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
The Bruins spoiled a chance at the first all-SEC title game since 2017, when Staley’s team beat Mississippi State, which was led by current Texas coach Vic Schaefer.
—Doug Feinberg, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Batherson spoiled Wallstedt’s shutout attempt with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Hally’s vindictive turn is a betrayal, not just of their bond, but of the dream of a more equitable South Africa that could tolerate a Black man being a mentor to a spoiled, brokenhearted white kid.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Those items were immediately discarded, and staff received additional guidance on properly identifying and removing spoiled produce.
—Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
When residents and small businesses sought reimbursement for spoiled food, lost revenue, and emergency expenses, many found their claims rejected by Con Edison.
—Shahana Hanif, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
At her very best, Emily behaves like a petulant pre-adolescent spoiled imp.
—Liza Lentini, SPIN, 14 Apr. 2026
The bins — often containing wheat, oats or barley — also bring additional risks because grain dust accumulation can contribute to fire hazards, spoiled grain can expose workers to potentially toxic substances and falling into the grain can quickly swallow and suffocate a person.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Even the leader of the free world can exhibit the impetuous, manipulative, disruptive behaviors of a spoiled child — behaviors that go beyond classroom disruptions and that can potentially disrupt the entire world.
—Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the actual voter can call the registrar and ask for his/her ballot, just as for spoiled or torn ballots.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
For years, lawyers have alleged that inmates receive expired, undercooked or contaminated food, including spoiled meat and deteriorated dairy products.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
The quiet offensive day spoiled Ureña’s outing.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
This sprout is the early stage of a new garlic plant forming inside the clove, not a sign that your garlic has spoiled.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
According to the inspection report, officials found the school in violation for having spoiled or contaminated food.
—Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
The city contacted the voter who requested both ballots be spoiled and a new ballot was issued.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Golf is a good walk spoiled, Mark Twain was purported to have said, but surely nobody could ever say that about a day at The Masters – and especially the greenest of thumbs are guaranteed to leave Augusta National green with envy.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
In the 1960s, our nation was spoiled.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
The Bruins spoiled a chance at the first all-SEC title game since 2017, when Staley’s team beat Mississippi State, which was led by current Texas coach Vic Schaefer.
—Doug Feinberg, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Batherson spoiled Wallstedt’s shutout attempt with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiled
Adjective
-
Facing eviction, this next generation of ‘rotten’ kids plot to break into the factory, nab a priceless Wonka Bar, and save their homes.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Hamlet reminds us that things are rotten not just in the state of Denmark but just about everywhere.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Now, the school is feeling some of the same competitive pressure its public school neighbors have been feeling – because, in Cedar Rapids' new, competitive marketplace, its product has gone from shiny and new to questionable and perhaps tainted.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
-
There, Quenneville’s triumphs were later tainted by an organizational scandal that left him barred by the league for several seasons prior to joining the Ducks.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The body was so badly decomposed that the deceased’s gender could not be determined, said police.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Clements said the mistaken identification may have happened because the creature decomposed and lost its telltale shell before it was fossilized, complicating identification.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Along those lines, the Illinois Cannabis Equity Coalition is a nonprofit which advocates for the state’s legal pot program to reinvest in areas damaged by the war on drugs.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The Israeli soldiers who damaged a figure of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon and photographed the incident will be removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days of military detention, according to the Israeli military.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His appetite for complexity was increasingly indulged as a means of branding cities and institutions, and his novel forms were deployed as blunt metaphors to absorb and obscure contradictions rather than negotiate them in material and spatial terms.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The custodian of the maison’s some 20,000 documents, fragments, and objects is the effervescent Sophie Rouart, who indulged me in pulling any style of my choosing.—
Stephanie Sporn,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Weinstein’s lawyers have argued that his New York conviction last year was poisoned by bad blood among jurors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Could Ty Jones, whose autopsy said the 33-year-old died of heart issues, have been poisoned too?—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The ceiling was noticeably bowed, and the floor was partly rotted.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Conley could’ve rotted away in Chicago.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But her career has been marred by high-profile incidents — including being photographed in 2007 with a freshly shaven head hitting a car with an umbrella.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Sunday’s vote was marred by delays in distributing electoral materials in several districts of Lima, forcing authorities to extend voting into Monday.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiled. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
