Dictionary.com
definitions

spiteful

[spahyt-fuhl]
See more synonyms for spiteful on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. full of spite or malice; showing spite; malicious; malevolent; venomous: a spiteful child.

Origin of spiteful

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at spite, -ful
Related formsspite·ful·ly, adverbspite·ful·ness, nounun·spite·ful, adjectiveun·spite·ful·ly, adverb

Synonyms for spiteful

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com
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.

Antonyms for spiteful

benevolent.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for spitefulness

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

Examples from the Web for spitefulness

Historical Examples of spitefulness

  • These seemed only to augment the mirth and spitefulness of his tormentors.

    The Boy Slaves

    Mayne Reid

  • Foma did not expect this, and all his boldness and spitefulness suddenly left him.

    Foma Gordyeff

    Maxim Gorky

  • And if he ever met with ingratitude or spitefulness, he ignored it and dismissed it from his mind.

    Albert Ballin

    Bernhard Huldermann

  • "It was like his spitefulness to tie them so tight," he whimpered.

    The Vinland Champions

    Ottilie A. Liljencrantz

  • Neither his mother nor the baron noticed his attitude of spitefulness.

    The Burning Secret

    Stefan Zweig

British Dictionary definitions for spitefulness

spiteful

adjective
  1. full of or motivated by spite; vindictive
Derived Formsspitefully, 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
Word Origin and History for spitefulness

spiteful

adj.

mid-15c., from spite + -ful. Related: Spitefully; spitefulness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper