spoilsport

American  

[spoil-spawrt, -spohrt] / ˈspɔɪlˌspɔrt, -ˌspoʊrt /

noun

1. a person whose selfish or unsportsmanlike attitudes or actions spoil the pleasure of others, as in a game or social gathering.

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spoilsport British  

/ ˈspɔɪlˌspɔːt /

noun

1. informal a person who spoils the pleasure of other people by his actions or attitudes

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Etymology

Origin of spoilsport

First recorded in 1815–25; from phrase spoil the sport

Explanation

A spoilsport is a person who ruins other people's fun. You know: the girl shushing everyone at a sleepover party, the kid who refuses to play when it comes their turn to be "it." Back before it meant organized athletics, sport meant games or joking. Instead of making fun of someone, you'd be "making sport" of them. So someone who spoils or wrecks the fun or sport of others is a spoilsport. Calling someone a spoilsport, though, is often just a way to pressure them to do something everyone knows is wrong.

Example Sentences

For days, northern California newspapers kicked around fierce, spoilsport claims.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2024

Never mind the spoilsport who defines college as “those magical seven years between high school and your first warehouse job.”

From Washington Post • Apr. 19, 2023

But rising interest rates and fears of a recession may play spoilsport in an industry where most vehicle purchases are financed with loans, analysts say.

From Reuters • Apr. 3, 2023

The couple had planned a lavish wedding in April, but then the pandemic played spoilsport.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2020

He deserved it for being such a spoilsport.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn