spiteful

[ spahyt-fuhl ]
See synonyms for: spitefulspitefullyspitefulness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. full of spite or malice; showing spite; malicious; malevolent; venomous: a spiteful child.

Origin of spiteful

1
A late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at spite, -ful

synonym study For spiteful

Spiteful, revengeful, vindictive refer to a desire to inflict a wrong or injury on someone, usually in return for one received. Spiteful implies a mean or malicious desire for (often petty) revenge: a spiteful attitude toward a former friend. Revengeful implies a deep, powerful, and continued intent to repay a wrong: a fierce and revengeful spirit. Vindictive does not imply action necessarily, but stresses the unforgiving nature of the avenger: a vindictive look.

Other words for spiteful

Opposites for spiteful

Other words from spiteful

  • spite·ful·ly, adverb
  • spite·ful·ness, noun
  • un·spite·ful, adjective
  • un·spite·ful·ly, adverb

Words Nearby spiteful

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use spiteful in a sentence

  • Subordinated as it is here rewritten, it does not half express the spiteful independence she assumed to teach Coppy a lesson.

    English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
  • This was the first time he had smarted in his penetrable part—the skin—and it made him very spiteful.

  • This sentence evidently cannot mean that a father may refuse food to his son if the latter is spiteful.

    My Religion | Leo Tolstoy
  • He was not only terrified but angered, and whirling about, he brought down his gun with spiteful violence on the writhing body.

    Two Boys in Wyoming | Edward S. Ellis
  • No one has yet enjoyed any spiteful fun at Mrs. Depew's expense though many were on the qui vive for entertainment.

British Dictionary definitions for spiteful

spiteful

/ (ˈspaɪtfʊl) /


adjective
  1. full of or motivated by spite; vindictive

Derived forms of spiteful

  • spitefully, adverb
  • spitefulness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012