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
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Recent Examples of spoiled
Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 9 June 2026
In her third season in the WNBA, the once-shining superstar is acting like a spoiled brat.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Cleaning up bird seed, spoiled fruit, and other easy sources of food is the best way to reduce rodent problems and deter the ticks that use rodents as hosts.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2026
Taken together, the blank or spoiled ballots would have comfortably won the April vote, and the blank votes alone would have beaten thirty-four of the thirty-five candidates.
—Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
The cast were not unlike the spoiled rich city kids and their parents experiencing rugged Montana for the first time in Sheridan’s story.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 4 June 2026
Five more words are ‘spoiled brat theatre kid energy’.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Among detainee allegations, according to some of their attorneys, were that they were served spoiled food.
—Leigh Waldman, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
Rebellions were common and pitted spoiled students against helpless teachers.
—Thomas Adam, The Conversation, 29 May 2026
Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2026
O’Hara, who played spoiled, eccentric housewife Moira Rose, and Elliott, who played quirky town mayor Roland Schitt, shared the screen for the entirety of the series.
—Janey Wetzel, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
Boualem Khoukhi scored an equalizing goal on a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Qatar spoiled a dominant day by Switzerland in a 1-1 draw Saturday in Group B of the World Cup.
—ABC News, 13 June 2026
Her clutch 3-pointer nearly spoiled the synergy of Boston and Clark, but when the game hung in the balance, the Fever’s franchise pillars went to a level no other duo in the league has reached.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 12 June 2026
Trailing by two games, San Antonio made a statement and spoiled the party at Madison Square Garden for Game 3.
—Leocciano Callao, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
An egg that floats to the top is not fresh and could be spoiled.
—Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 10 June 2026
However, this is also the second time the Hurricanes spoiled the Golden Knights' plans.
—David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
Before a flat tire spoiled a shot at the win, Hocevar led 32 laps last year at Michigan, which is among his best tracks.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
Adjective
In a lawsuit filed against ICE last year, another former detainee said he was served spoiled milk.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 9 June 2026
In her third season in the WNBA, the once-shining superstar is acting like a spoiled brat.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Cleaning up bird seed, spoiled fruit, and other easy sources of food is the best way to reduce rodent problems and deter the ticks that use rodents as hosts.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2026
Taken together, the blank or spoiled ballots would have comfortably won the April vote, and the blank votes alone would have beaten thirty-four of the thirty-five candidates.
—Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
The cast were not unlike the spoiled rich city kids and their parents experiencing rugged Montana for the first time in Sheridan’s story.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 4 June 2026
Five more words are ‘spoiled brat theatre kid energy’.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Among detainee allegations, according to some of their attorneys, were that they were served spoiled food.
—Leigh Waldman, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
Rebellions were common and pitted spoiled students against helpless teachers.
—Thomas Adam, The Conversation, 29 May 2026
Verb
In Capri, meanwhile, you’re spoiled for choice.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2026
O’Hara, who played spoiled, eccentric housewife Moira Rose, and Elliott, who played quirky town mayor Roland Schitt, shared the screen for the entirety of the series.
—Janey Wetzel, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
Boualem Khoukhi scored an equalizing goal on a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Qatar spoiled a dominant day by Switzerland in a 1-1 draw Saturday in Group B of the World Cup.
—ABC News, 13 June 2026
Her clutch 3-pointer nearly spoiled the synergy of Boston and Clark, but when the game hung in the balance, the Fever’s franchise pillars went to a level no other duo in the league has reached.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 12 June 2026
Trailing by two games, San Antonio made a statement and spoiled the party at Madison Square Garden for Game 3.
—Leocciano Callao, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
An egg that floats to the top is not fresh and could be spoiled.
—Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 10 June 2026
However, this is also the second time the Hurricanes spoiled the Golden Knights' plans.
—David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
Before a flat tire spoiled a shot at the win, Hocevar led 32 laps last year at Michigan, which is among his best tracks.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiled
Adjective
-
Consequently, between Dick’s stubborn disposition and the fun the Indians had, Dick never worked much and was spoiled rotten.—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
-
Hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs and ammonia gives off notes of urine, sweat or dead fish.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Some kits are less easy to adore, whether bad (always subjective), good but spoiled by a dubious sponsor, a combination of both or tainted by association.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
The left no longer believes that immigrants of diverse backgrounds should assimilate themselves into a national culture tainted by white supremacy, while the right views immigrants’ very presence in the country as a threat to that same national culture.—
Yoni Appelbaum,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutor Cheryl Galvin disagreed, saying that while the body had decomposed, the medical examiner was still able to conclude Chiodo died by homicide due to blunt force and sharp force injuries.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
-
Compost is decomposed organic matter, created when microorganisms break down plant materials, food scraps, leaves, manure, and other organic inputs.—
Rae Ford,
Martha Stewart,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
This accident in late May destroyed the rocket and severely damaged the New Glenn booster’s only launch pad.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
16 June 2026
-
That's the same day that the popular Evangeline's gift and costume store is scheduled to re-open after being damaged by a fire in June of last year.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
This ideal of masculinity is not a patriarch but a perpetual adolescent, endlessly irresponsible and endlessly indulged.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
-
These men considered the loss of control that such behavior implied-an animal urge indulged by weak men lacking the courage to fight other men directly-to be shameful.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Last year, harmful algae blooming off Southern California poisoned hundreds of dolphins and sea lions off Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, causing strandings along popular beaches.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
-
Thalib, a leading human rights activist and founder of KontraS who was poisoned with arsenic on a flight to Amsterdam.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
While the timber has long since rotted away, the posts lined up to point directly at the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun at the winter solstice — in the same way as Stonehenge.—
Elmira Aliieva,
NBC news,
18 June 2026
-
The storm hit Jamaica on August 12, splintering three hundred homes, and 90 percent of banana crops rotted to black in the post-storm humidity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The Toronto Blue Jays' 2026 season has been marred by injuries, with veteran pitcher Max Scherzer facing significant setbacks.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
As Bloomberg recently reported, brides are buying $14 spells from witches on Etsy to ensure that their $100,000 weddings are not marred by blizzards or downpours.—
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiled. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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