DEFINITIONS
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spiteful

[ spahyt-fuhl ]
/ ˈspaɪt fəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR spiteful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

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Words related to spiteful

spite, enmity, meanness, malignancy, indignity, malice, evil, malignity, maliciousness, hatred, hate, grudge, vengefulness, resentment, cruelty, retaliation, revenge, mercilessness

Words nearby spiteful

spitball, spitballer, spitchcock, spite, spite fence, spiteful, spitfire, spithead, spitsbergen, spitsticker, spitteler

Origin of spiteful

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

SYNONYMS FOR spiteful

vengeful, mean, cruel, rancorous. 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.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR spiteful ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM spiteful

spite·ful·ly, adverbspite·ful·ness, nounun·spite·ful, adjectiveun·spite·ful·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spitefulness

British Dictionary definitions for spitefulness

spiteful
/ (ˈspaɪtfʊl) /

adjective

full of or motivated by spite; vindictive

Derived forms of spiteful

spitefully, adverbspitefulness, 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