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 FROM spiteful

spite·ful·ly, adverbspite·ful·ness, nounun·spite·ful, adjectiveun·spite·ful·ly, adverb

How to use spiteful in a sentence

I gather, from your report of it, it's a regular old-fashioned hair-pulling sort of feminine spitefulness.
In the Onyx Lobby|Carolyn Wells
There was no longer the same zest in the little scandals and petty spitefulness of a private school.
Sinister Street, vol. 1|Compton Mackenzie
It is the essence of spitefulness to say that nothing can be a benefit which does not cause some inconvenience to the giver.
L. Annaeus Seneca On Benefits|Seneca
"Chick-a-rer chick" is its usual call-note, jerked out with great spitefulness.
Bird Neighbors|Neltje Blanchan

Neither his mother nor the baron noticed his attitude of spitefulness.
The Burning Secret|Stefan Zweig

British Dictionary definitions for spiteful

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

spiteful

OTHER WORDS FOR spiteful

OPPOSITES FOR spiteful

Origin of spiteful

synonym study for spiteful

OTHER WORDS FROM spiteful

Words related to spiteful

How to use spiteful in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spiteful

Derived forms of spiteful