spite

1 of 2

noun

ˈspīt 

1

: petty ill will or hatred with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart

2

: an instance of spite

spite

2 of 2

verb

spited; spiting

transitive verb

1

a

: annoy, offend

b

: to fill with spite

2

: to treat maliciously (as by shaming or thwarting)

Phrases

in spite of

: in defiance or contempt of : without being prevented by

succeeded in spite of their opposition

Synonyms

Noun

• cattiness
• despite
• hatefulness
• malevolence
• malice
• maliciousness
• malignance
• malignancy
• malignity
• meanness
• nastiness
• spitefulness
• spleen
• venom
• viciousness

Verb

• aggravate
• annoy
• bother
• bug
• burn (up)
• chafe
• eat
• exasperate
• frost
• gall
• get
• grate
• gripe
• hack (off)
• irk
• irritate
• itch
• nark [British]
• nettle
• peeve
• persecute
• pique
• put out
• rasp
• rile
• ruffle
• vex

Choose the Right Synonym for spite

malice, malevolence, ill will, spite, malignity, spleen, grudge mean the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress.

malice implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer.

felt no malice toward their former enemies

malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct.

a look of dark malevolence

ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration.

ill will provoked by a careless remark

spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments.

petty insults inspired by spite

malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness.

a life consumed by motiveless malignity

spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice.

venting his spleen against politicians

grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction.

never one to harbor a grudge

Examples of spite in a Sentence

Noun

He is jealous and full of spite.

spread cruel lies out of pure spite

Verb

He only did it to spite me.

sometimes, I swear, she keeps doing that just to spite me

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In spite of their scare against the Jets, the Dolphins are on a playoff push with SU wins in four of their last five. —Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024

That’s in spite of the iPhone maker’s modest decline for the session. —Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2024

Verb

Jackson had run partially to spite Crawford and Clay, who opposed his rogue invasion of Spanish Florida in 1818, and siphoned their support in the South and West. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Dec. 2024

And none of this is to spite our great solutions, but to more adeptly connect them with our clearer understanding of the clients’ problems. —Tim Maurer, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, short for despite

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing spite

• cut off one's nose to spite one's face
• in spite of oneself

Kids Definition

spite

1 of 2 noun

ˈspīt 

: dislike or hatred for another person with a wish to torment, anger, or defeat

spite

2 of 2 verb

spited; spiting

: annoy, offend

did it to spite me