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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Recent Examples of spiteful
Several diss tracks followed, with the musicians hurling increasingly spiteful insults at each other relating to accusations of domestic abuse, exploitation and pedophilia.
—
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
Where internet trolls often come off as flippant or spiteful, there is a relentless sense of play and mastery of language in even McNally’s most needling posts.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Stewart’s switch from his usual snark to imitate Colbert’s buffoonery proved how spiteful and irreligious political humor has become since the left’s worship of Barack Obama and subsequent persecution of President Trump.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 July 2025
But to unsuspecting humans, killer bees seem aggressive, spiteful and, of course, terrifying.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiteful
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
Where internet trolls often come off as flippant or spiteful, there is a relentless sense of play and mastery of language in even McNally’s most needling posts.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Stewart’s switch from his usual snark to imitate Colbert’s buffoonery proved how spiteful and irreligious political humor has become since the left’s worship of Barack Obama and subsequent persecution of President Trump.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 July 2025
But to unsuspecting humans, killer bees seem aggressive, spiteful and, of course, terrifying.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiteful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiteful
Adjective
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In addition, users will be able to permanently block a user from quote-sharing any of their posts, as a hedge against malicious dunks.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
13 Sep. 2025
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That means malicious software is getting smarter, faster and harder to detect.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The cruel irony is that the very systems designed to promote inclusion can inadvertently reinforce exclusion.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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And of course, to serve as cruel juxtaposition, deGrom retired the Mets in order in the bottom of the inning on just six pitches.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As and when evidence against that narrative comes out, either via six monthly reports or from some other source, the crash in the stock price will be more vicious than otherwise.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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In these homes, the conflict between budgeting and feeding kids well creates huge psychological stress for parents, which can lead to anxiety and depression, fueling the vicious cycle of stress and unhealthy eating, Beresin said.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Political analyst Matthew Dowd took to MSNBC to say that Kirk’s hateful words had led to hateful actions.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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In other words, Cartman is irate that Trump has stolen his hateful, vindictive shtick.—
Nick Marx,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One said bump is a particularly nasty, literal wig-snatching fight between Vida and Chi-Chi.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
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In a nutshell, people are easily irritated and inclined to get caught up in nasty power struggles because they’re entrenched in their own views.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiteful. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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