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
Etymology
Origin of spite
1250–1300; Middle English; aphetic variant of despite
Explanation
When your sister told you that you looked terrible in your new tube top, she may have been saying it out of spite, or in a deliberately mean or offensive way. The noun spite means "a desire to offend." The word spite can also take the form of a verb, when it's used like this: "He only became a vegetarian to spite his cattle rancher father." Either way, spite implies a grudge, a desire to offend or hurt the feelings of someone by actions or words.
Vocabulary lists containing spite
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
"We do have a voice, we are connected, we are emotionally strong, in spite of everything that's happened to us, to demand accountability."
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
Russkaya Obshina, however, is not registered to do this, in spite of the police's involvement in some of its raids.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
In spite of their initial resistance, Didion’s writing pulls buried recollections to the surface.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
Single women are buying homes in spite of — not because of — the system.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
Like I loved Ms. Washington, in spite of myself, the first time I heard her.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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.
