Definitions

spiteful

[spahyt-fuhl] / ˈspaɪt fəl /

ADJECTIVE

hurtful, nasty

Synonyms

STRONGEST

barbed catty cruel hateful malicious ornery snide venomous vicious vindictive

WEAK

accidentally on purpose angry cussed despiteful dirty evil ill-disposed ill-natured malevolent malign malignant mean rancorous spleenful splenetic waspish wicked

Antonyms

STRONGEST

friendly gentle good kind lovable nice pleasant sympathetic thoughtful

WEAK

affectionate forgiving helpful loving pleasing

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And you thought spiteful stepmothers wreaked havoc only in fairy tales.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

"Tourette's can feel spiteful and searches out the most upsetting tic for me personally and for those around me," he explained.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

Over the next several years, Tidmarsh sent a series of spiteful messages to Tang and his business associates, the lawsuit said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025

That extra spiteful mile is unlikely to sit well with the workers who weren’t fired, since they may be next.

From Slate • Feb. 18, 2025

“Make what you can of that,” he might have said, if there were such a god, and he was feeling spiteful.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Vocabulary lists containing spiteful

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

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The Jungle Book

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Fever 1793

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!