spiteful
SPYT-ful
/ˈspaɪt.fəl/
Showing or caused by malice or a desire to harm, annoy, or offend someone out of petty resentment.
Focuses on petty, annoyance-driven harm rather than grand or systemic cruelty.
The story behind the word. Shortened from Middle English 'despite', originating from Old French 'despit' (contempt or looking down upon). It grew to mean acting out of petty contempt to frustrate someone.
Word relationships
- petty: Petty means trivial or small-minded; spiteful emphasizes small-minded desire to annoy.
- vindictive: Vindictive implies serious long-term revenge; spiteful implies short-term petty harm.
- kindhearted: Having a gentle, sympathetic nature.
- benevolent: Well-meaning and kindly.
Commonly confused with
- despite: Despite is a preposition meaning in spite of; spiteful is an adjective describing malicious intent.
Word family
- spite (noun): A desire to hurt or annoy someone.
- spitefully (adverb): In a spiteful manner.
Collocations
- spiteful comment
- spiteful rumor
- spiteful revenge
Idioms & expressions
- cut off your nose to spite your face
Example sentences
- "She made a spiteful comment about her sister's career choices during the holiday dinner." Family drama
- "The spiteful gossip was intended to ruin his standing among his peers." Social observation
Memory hook
Spiteful people act out of 'spite' to make things 'spiteful' and sour. Spiteful = Full of petty spite.
When not to use
Avoid using for large-scale military atrocities; it is best suited for personal disputes.
Fun facts
- The phrase 'cut off one's nose to spite one's face' dates back to 12th-century Latin proverbs.
Related words
Explore more words
malice, rancorous, vindictive, resentful, vindictiveness, avenge
Also appears in
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