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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spiteful
Biden’s mean-spirited, spiteful actions are only more reasons for Americans to vote Republican in future elections.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025
Share [Findings] Unaffiliated voters are growing more spiteful toward both Democrats and Republicans.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 22 Jan. 2025
Iannucci may spin stories of spiteful people, but Iannucci the person is different.
—John Baldoni, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
This sequel was similar in its angry, bleak tone but amped up with little of the polish that some in Washington had hoped would signal Trump’s second term might be less spiteful than the first go-around.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiteful
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025
Share [Findings] Unaffiliated voters are growing more spiteful toward both Democrats and Republicans.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 22 Jan. 2025
Iannucci may spin stories of spiteful people, but Iannucci the person is different.
—John Baldoni, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
This sequel was similar in its angry, bleak tone but amped up with little of the polish that some in Washington had hoped would signal Trump’s second term might be less spiteful than the first go-around.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiteful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiteful
Adjective
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This is the threat potential given commonalities despite seemingly different developers, and those links to malicious domains.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
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Newark Mayor Ras Baraka filed a lawsuit against interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba on Tuesday, accusing her of malicious prosecution over his arrest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility last month.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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The reason Evin is infamous is because of its terribly cruel high security detention centers that are poorly supervised by the Prison Chief.—
Jeff Kaufman,
Time,
30 May 2025
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But then perhaps that is her unsatisfying but depressingly undeniable point: there is no challenging minds this small, behaviors this cruel, spirits this mean.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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There are other objects of worship from the days when Japan’s Christians had to hide from vicious persecution, including a ceramic bottle of holy water from Nakaenoshima, an island where Hidden Christians were martyred in the 1620s.—
Foster Klug,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
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Years before the Kendrick Lamar and Drake imbroglio, Pusha T shared his own vicious diss track against the Canadian hip-hop superstar.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Black said the synagogue has received hateful emails and phone calls.—
Rosario Del Valle,
Sun Sentinel,
3 June 2025
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Hamas, Iran, and their allies and ideological sympathizers in the West have flooded the world with their hateful lies and antisemitic incitement since October 7 — lies designed to demonize Israel, the Jewish people, and their supporters.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Well, as referenced above, the United States was coming out of a nasty recession tied to the crisis in the mortgage market.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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But many of those story beats feel perfunctory; the film comes to life in the nastier, grislier set pieces.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiteful. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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