Showing results for "spoiled"

• past participle of spoil.
• past tense form of spoil.

spoiled

American  

[spoild] / spɔɪld /

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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• unspoiled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of spoiled

spoil ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

When a person is spoiled, they're damaged by having been given everything they want. Spoiled people are usually pretty rotten. When food is spoiled, it's also rotten—literally. Spoiled things and spoiled people are both fairly unpleasant. A spoiled child typically whines for something and gets it, becoming used to that kind of over-indulgent treatment. Spoiled milk smells terrible and tastes even worse. This adjective comes from the verb spoil, meaning "ruin" or "destroy"; the idea was that giving in to a child's every whim would ruin him.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spoiled

And Max spoiled some good pitches and then got a pitch in his wheelhouse and put a good swing on it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

David Matias Rodriguez, an 82-year-old retiree, said he was worried the few things in his refrigerator would be spoiled.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

For a long time, he was the player who beat your favorite player, who spoiled the Sundays of the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal superfans, and it gave him a certain notoriousness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Meanwhile, children watching the match at Castleway Primary in Leasowe, Wirral, were told they would miss playtime for the rest of the week if they spoiled the result for anyone.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

“Of course you did, and spoiled your story by beginning at the wrong end. Now, start right, and tell me how it all happened. I’m pining to know.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Related Words

• rotten