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
This spoilsport effort has become fodder for late-night comedy routines and gripes about liberal overlords such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg banishing all fun.
—
Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2024
Be prepared to be labelled humourless, difficult, a spoilsport, and a ruiner of parties, meetings, dinners, and picnics.
—Natalie Gil, refinery29.com, 11 July 2023
Who knows whether another variant will turn spoilsport next year.
—Rajrishi Singhal, Quartz, 10 Feb. 2022
Sorry for being a spoilsport.
—John F. Wasik, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for spoilsport
Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2024
Be prepared to be labelled humourless, difficult, a spoilsport, and a ruiner of parties, meetings, dinners, and picnics.
—Natalie Gil, refinery29.com, 11 July 2023
Who knows whether another variant will turn spoilsport next year.
—Rajrishi Singhal, Quartz, 10 Feb. 2022
Sorry for being a spoilsport.
—John F. Wasik, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for spoilsport
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoilsport
Noun
-
The Civil War, which is jeopardizing his presidency, has turned him into an utter killjoy.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
-
Without being a complete spoiler-lobbing killjoy, this is a story heavily marinated in trauma, with an emphasis on two parties’ checkered past in particular.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The proportions are low and wide, with some details that signal its sportiness and others that suggest a focus on reducing drag and maximizing efficiency.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
4 Sep. 2025
-
One image on Shea’s Instagram alludes to Kenzie being part of her drag family as early as 2017.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Put the kibosh on quiet cracking, those cynics insist.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Travis Kelce knows what the cynics might think of his relationship with Taylor Swift — two of the most famous people in America just happen to match up perfectly?—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The president has similarly hinted at soon reverting the Department of Defense to the Department of War, the name the Cabinet’s military department bore from 1789 until 1947.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The researchers plan to expand their study to a larger number of boreholes, including water bores, to understand the full scope of the issue better nd find more opportunities to reduce emissions.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Who’s going to climb over all the other crabs and inevitably kill them in order to survive?—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The lobster and crab on a baguette at Linden in Los Angeles is a knuckle sandwich that’s also a knuckle sandwich.—
Andy Wang,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
-
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
-
Aleksander Barkov has covered him like a wet blanket at times, showcasing the two-way prowess that just earned him his third Selke Trophy.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
-
It’s stated routinely in my upcoming book The Deficit Delusion that the centralized and politicized allocation of goods, services and labor in sub-optimal fashion by politicians lays a wet blanket on economic growth.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spoilsport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoilsport. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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