spite
Americannoun
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a malicious, usually petty, desire to harm, annoy, frustrate, or humiliate another person; bitter ill will; malice.
- Synonyms:
- spleen, venom, rancor, maliciousness, malevolence
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a particular instance of such an attitude or action; grudge.
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Obsolete. something that causes vexation; annoyance.
verb (used with object)
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to treat with spite or malice.
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to annoy or thwart, out of spite.
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to fill with spite; vex; offend.
idioms
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in spite of, in disregard or defiance of; notwithstanding; despite.
She arrived at school on time in spite of the snowstorm.
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cut off one's nose to spite one's face. nose.
noun
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maliciousness involving the desire to harm another; venomous ill will
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an instance of such malice; grudge
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archaic something that induces vexation
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(preposition) in defiance of; regardless of; notwithstanding
verb
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to annoy in order to vent spite
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archaic to offend
Related Words
See grudge. See notwithstanding.
Other Word Forms
- spiteless adjective
- unspited adjective
Etymology
Origin of spite
1250–1300; Middle English; aphetic variant of despite
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shares of Tesla rose sharply in the second half of 2025 after Musk left the White House in spite of weaker financial results shrugged off due to Tesla's perceived growth potential.
From Barron's
Pep Guardiola said his success at Manchester City has come in spite of refereeing decisions going against his side in a tirade following Saturday's 2-0 win over Wolves.
From Barron's
In spite of the war and everything that has happened, Makarem and Ikram, who are now 19, are hopeful about their futures.
From BBC
George laughed in spite of himself, and he stopped the snowmobile near some rocks where they could both go to the bathroom with a little privacy.
From Literature
But he added: "I've managed to do pretty well for myself in spite of my limitations."
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
