spite

1 of 2

noun

ˈspīt 

1

: petty ill will or hatred with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart

2

: an instance of spite

spite

2 of 2

verb

spited; spiting

transitive verb

1

a

: annoy, offend

b

: to fill with spite

2

: to treat maliciously (as by shaming or thwarting)

Phrases

in spite of

: in defiance or contempt of : without being prevented by

succeeded in spite of their opposition

Synonyms

Noun

• cattiness
• despite
• hatefulness
• malevolence
• malice
• maliciousness
• malignance
• malignancy
• malignity
• meanness
• nastiness
• spitefulness
• spleen
• venom
• viciousness

Verb

• aggravate
• annoy
• bother
• bug
• burn (up)
• chafe
• eat
• exasperate
• frost
• gall
• get
• grate
• gripe
• hack (off)
• irk
• irritate
• itch
• nark [British]
• nettle
• peeve
• persecute
• pique
• put out
• rasp
• rile
• ruffle
• vex

Choose the Right Synonym for spite

malice, malevolence, ill will, spite, malignity, spleen, grudge mean the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress.

malice implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer.

felt no malice toward their former enemies

malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct.

a look of dark malevolence

ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration.

ill will provoked by a careless remark

spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments.

petty insults inspired by spite

malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness.

a life consumed by motiveless malignity

spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice.

venting his spleen against politicians

grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction.

never one to harbor a grudge

Examples of spite in a Sentence

Noun

He is jealous and full of spite.

spread cruel lies out of pure spite

Verb

He only did it to spite me.

sometimes, I swear, she keeps doing that just to spite me

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The airline underscored its relatively strong performance in spite of a number of challenges in the quarter, including the CrowdStrike outage and Hurricanes Debby and Helene. —Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 24 Oct. 2024

Known as the harpy eagle, this striking creature is one of the largest extant eagle species on the planet, capable of measuring in at over 2.2 meters (7.3 feet) in wingspan—yet in spite of their physical might, these birds teetered dangerously close to the edge of extinction just a few years ago. —Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Verb

First comes the wit, as Cheryl goes rogue with her on-air questions to spite the show’s chauvinistic host (Tony Hale). —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2024

For years, Europeans offered him incentives to cooperate, hoping that an economically vibrant Russia that depended on the West would not cut off its nose to spite its face. —Douglas London, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, short for despite

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing spite

• cut off one's nose to spite one's face
• in spite of oneself

Kids Definition

spite

1 of 2 noun

ˈspīt 

: dislike or hatred for another person with a wish to torment, anger, or defeat

spite

2 of 2 verb

spited; spiting

: annoy, offend

did it to spite me