spoiled

[spoild]

adjective

1. (of a person, especially a child) indulged excessively or pampered, with a harmful effect on character.

   Her grandfather is a rough, no-nonsense farmer with little patience for a spoiled kid from the city.

2. (of food) having become bad or unfit for use; tainted, rancid, or soured.

   Eating spoiled fish causes symptoms that closely resemble an allergic reaction.

3. severely damaged or harmed, especially in a way that reduces value, usefulness, excellence, enjoyment, etc.; marred or ruined.

   His new book, Fly Fishing Tips for the Desperate, can help turn a spoiled fishing trip into a successful one.

4. (of a ballot) disqualified by being marked in an improper way or otherwise marred or defaced.

   If you make a mistake on your absentee ballot, return it to the auditor with "spoiled ballot” on the envelope and request a replacement.

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of spoil.

Other Word Forms

• unspoiled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spoiled¹

spoil ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Were he alive today, perhaps he’d add, “Nobody’s interested in baseball anymore. All the players are spoiled multimillionaires.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The magazine painted Johnson, widely known by her nickname Libet, as another spoiled American heiress with too much money and not enough purpose.

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In other words, a few bad apples among entrepreneurs haven’t spoiled the bunch—and some of them have planted the seeds for growth.

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Where basic training stories like this usually involve a cocky or spoiled character learning a lesson about humbleness and teamwork, Cam is coming from a place of insecurity and fear.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

County’s jails, describing filthy conditions, vermin and insect infestations, a lack of clean water and moldy and spoiled food.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• rotten