spiteful

adjective

spite·​ful ˈspīt-fəl How to pronounce spiteful (audio)
: filled with or showing spite : malicious
spitefully adverb
spitefulness noun

Examples of spiteful in a Sentence

the gossip would utter the most vicious things with a spiteful smile
Recent Examples on the Web Read the full Virgo Daily Horoscope Libra (September 23 - October 22) Feeling a little… spiteful? USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Phil, a spiteful rancher who torments his brother's (Jesse Plemons) new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her sensitive teenage son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) against the backdrop of 1920s Montana. Kevin Jacobsen and Sammi Burke, EW.com, 17 Nov. 2023 Because every year, Poseidon gets excited about the prospects for the University of Texas football team but grows increasingly wroth and spiteful when the team loses some early season games. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 1 June 2023 Relationship management is a hugely important part of the game—let your guard down, and your team will become a group of angry, spiteful misanthropes who refuse to get along. Aaron Zimmerman, Ars Technica, 8 May 2023 What intrigued me the most are the twisted stories about camels who are known to be spiteful and hold a grudge. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 4 Dec. 2023 Bernarda’s daughters — played with variegated levels of rage by Lizzie Annis, Pearl Chanda, Rosalind Eleazar, Isis Hainsworth and Eliot Salt — chafe under their mother’s spiteful vigilance. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2023 This week, André 3000 picks up his flute for a strange yet pleasant pivot; Drake gives Taylor Swift a shoutout; and Tate McRae gets spiteful with her exes. Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2023 The book is irreverent, discursive, intermittently hilarious, gossipy, spiteful, penetrating on political topics, and zealous in its admiration of R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. Even Mr. Tyrrell’s enemies will have to admit that his achievements are considerable. Barton Swaim, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spiteful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spiteful was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near spiteful

Cite this Entry

“Spiteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spiteful. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spiteful

adjective
spite·​ful ˈspīt-fəl How to pronounce spiteful (audio)
: filled with or showing spite : malicious
spitefully adverb
spitefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on spiteful

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