as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
the gossip would utter the most vicious things with a spiteful smile
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spiteful
But again and again throughout Thursday’s hearing, the fraying of bonds between Kennedy and his former party was on full display as spiteful comments were passed back and forth.
—
Ali Swenson,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Phil, a spiteful rancher who torments his brother's (Jesse Plemons) new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her sensitive teenage son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), against the backdrop of 1920s Montana.
—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Apr. 2026
That the spiteful man sees only as far as the spiteful man can, and that can produce a work of art that is successful, but maybe not ultimately great.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
And Landman totally got the assignment and deftly plays a series of selfish, clueless and/or spiteful clods.
—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiteful
Ali Swenson,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Phil, a spiteful rancher who torments his brother's (Jesse Plemons) new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her sensitive teenage son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), against the backdrop of 1920s Montana.
—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Apr. 2026
That the spiteful man sees only as far as the spiteful man can, and that can produce a work of art that is successful, but maybe not ultimately great.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
And Landman totally got the assignment and deftly plays a series of selfish, clueless and/or spiteful clods.
—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiteful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiteful
Adjective
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According to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, 37-year-old Adam Mazur-Baker was arraigned Tuesday on one count of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of malicious use of telecommunications services.
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This command executes malicious code inside the AppleScript directly.
Adjective
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Swift moved on from one Brit to the next, quietly dating actor Joe Alwyn from 2017 to 2023, while the world spent back-to-back cruel summers without Taymerica.
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This is particularly gratifying given the absurd and cruel trolling the young actress received from the toxic corners of internet fandom leading up to the film’s release.
Adjective
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This vicious machine chewed him up and spit him out in predictable fashion.
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The mood changed a bit when Tab Ramos took a vicious elbow to the side of his head and fractured his skull.
Adjective
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Social media sites used for hateful comments Pumphrey made threatening posts on the social media platform YouTube and other social media sites, according to the guilty plea.
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Political podcasters such as Tucker Carlson peddle conspiracies and lies, and there seems to be little consequence for hateful rhetoric.
Adjective
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Including some rather nasty, big corpo bullies who enlist specialist teams to hunt down clues, and other players, too.
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Betty Kovacs, the eldest daughter of comedian Ernie Kovacs who with her sister Kippie and stepmother, actress-singer Edie Adams, was at the center of a nasty custody battle that kept Hollywood riveted in 1962, has died.
Cite this Entry
“Spiteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiteful. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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