as in killjoy
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spoilsport
Sorry for being a spoilsport.
—
John F. Wasik, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2021
Who knows whether another variant will turn spoilsport next year.
—Rajrishi Singhal, Quartz, 10 Feb. 2022
Does wanting to moderate the telling of jokes about AI sentience become a grinch-like spoilsport?
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022
While demand is ballooning, high taxes—3% each market fee and rural development fund, 2.5% commission to agents and 1% service charges—could play spoilsport.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2022
See all Example Sentences for spoilsport 
John F. Wasik, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2021
Who knows whether another variant will turn spoilsport next year.
—Rajrishi Singhal, Quartz, 10 Feb. 2022
Does wanting to moderate the telling of jokes about AI sentience become a grinch-like spoilsport?
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022
While demand is ballooning, high taxes—3% each market fee and rural development fund, 2.5% commission to agents and 1% service charges—could play spoilsport.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2022
See all Example Sentences for spoilsport
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoilsport
Noun
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Within the dog-button community, Horowitz is regarded as a killjoy.—
Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2025
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Esther is the original feminist killjoy — acerbic, brilliant, obsessive, confrontational, deeply relatable.—
Jillian Eugenios,
NBC News,
29 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The reason for the changes, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Friday, was the center's decision to host drag show performances at its venue.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA TODAY,
15 Feb. 2025
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That’s what was needed — a gay person who wasn’t dying, who was lively and running around doing drag, being funny, being outrageous.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
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All one needs is to read the headlines today, 45 years down the road, to see that sometimes cynics have a point.—
George Monastiriakos,
Newsweek,
30 Dec. 2024
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The cynics say the wildfires are the death knell of the film business.—
Todd Heyman,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
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The man in the chef’s hat bore Meatball, a loud Italian American meatball who calmed hospital patients and veterans through a nest of spaghetti.—
Peter Rubin,
Longreads,
26 Dec. 2024
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Sequences of Elvira starving herself and obsessing over her weight bore the points down like a drill, though the screenplay could do more to explore the lead’s subjectivity and how her self-lacerating pursuit of beauty is becoming infectious to all around her.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Cancers, symbolized by the crab, are notorious for being nurturing, protective, and moody.—
Maya Layne,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2025
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There’s the obligatory seafood tower ($115), which depending on the season might include shucked oysters, spiny lobster, Santa Barbara uni and succulent chunks of Dungeness crab.—
John Metcalfe,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
2 Feb. 2025
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The Pompano Beach, Fla. doesn’t play grinch alone; Veeze, Lil Yachty, Rob49, Juvenile, and B.G. also appear on the project.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Assassin's Creed 3 After a whole trilogy led by the suave Ezio, Assassin's Creed III's Connor felt like a wet blanket.—
John Mac Ghlionn,
Newsweek,
13 Jan. 2025
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Stiller’s Roy, the leader of the titular supergroup, is rarely more than a wet blanket, literally powerless and mopey right until the climactic battle.—
Sean Malin,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Spoilsport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoilsport. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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