Spite Definition and Meaning
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Published on July 27, 2025
Spite is a desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone. e.g., She left the note out of spite.
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Spite Definitions
An action taken to annoy or frustrate someone deliberately.
She canceled the plans in spite.
Malice or ill will towards another person.
Her words were full of spite.
The desire to see someone suffer or be unhappy.
He took pleasure in his ex-partner's troubles out of spite.
Petty maliciousness or nastiness towards someone.
His spiteful remark hurt her deeply.
Vindictiveness or a vindictive attitude.
His actions were motivated by sheer spite.
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Behaving in a way to deliberately upset someone.
She ignored him out of spite.
Holding a grudge against someone and acting on it.
He sabotaged the project out of spite for his colleague.
A spiteful feeling of resentment.
Spite drove him to spread rumors.
Malicious ill will prompting an urge to hurt or humiliate another person.
To treat with spite; show spite toward
"Maybe she became engaged to him in order to spite another man" (Nathaniel West).
Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the desire to unjustifiably irritate, annoy, or thwart; a want to disturb or put out another; mild malice
He was so filled with spite for his ex-wife, his brother was afraid of what he might do.
They did it just for spite.
(obsolete) Vexation; chagrin; mortification.
(transitive) To treat maliciously; to try to hurt or thwart.
She soon married again, to spite her ex-husband.
To be angry at; to hate.
(transitive) To fill with spite; to offend; to vex.
Notwithstanding; despite.
Ill-will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart; petty malice; grudge; rancor; despite.
This is the deadly spite that angers.
Vexation; chargrin; mortification.
To be angry at; to hate.
The Danes, then . . . pagans, spited places of religion.
To treat maliciously; to try to injure or thwart.
To fill with spite; to offend; to vex.
Darius, spited at the Magi, endeavored to abolish not only their learning, but their language.
Feeling a need to see others suffer
Malevolence by virtue of being malicious or spiteful or nasty
Hurt the feelings of;
She hurt me when she did not include me among her guests
This remark really bruised me ego
A feeling of wanting to harm or upset someone.
He acted in spite to get back at his rival.
A deliberate act intended to harm someone's feelings.
Posting those comments was pure spite.
Spite Snonyms
Hostility
Unfriendly or antagonistic behavior or attitude.
He felt a sense of hostility from his coworkers.
Ill will
Feeling of enmity or hostility towards someone.
There’s a history of ill will between the two families.
Bitterness
Long-lasting resentment or anger.
Bitterness over the betrayal lingered for years.
Animosity
Strong hostility or antagonism; hatred.
Despite their disagreement, they felt no animosity towards each other.
Rancor
Deep-seated resentment or ill will.
The dispute was settled without rancor.
Grudge
A persistent feeling of ill will or resentment.
He held a grudge against his former mentor.
Malice
The intention or desire to do evil or harm.
His apology couldn’t hide his underlying malice.
Vindictiveness
A strong or unreasonable desire for revenge.
Her vindictiveness was evident in her actions.
Malevolence
The quality of having or showing a wish to do evil to others.
There was a glint of malevolence in his eyes.
Antipathy
A deep-seated feeling of aversion or dislike.
Her antipathy towards the policy was well-known.
Spite Idioms & Phrases
Spite house
A building constructed or modified to annoy others, often by obstructing their view or access.
The tiny pink house wedged between two skyscrapers is a famous spite house.
Spite fence
A fence built purely to irritate a neighbor, often by obstructing their view or access.
The tall, ugly wooden barrier he erected was more of a spite fence than a privacy measure.
Cut off your nose to spite your face
To harm oneself out of pride or stubbornness in an attempt to harm someone else.
He refused to lend his brother his car, cutting off his nose to spite his face since he needed someone to share driving duties.
In spite of
Despite; without being affected by the particular factor mentioned.
She managed to smile in spite of her pain.
Act out of spite
To do something primarily motivated by the desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone.
He only sold the car because his sister wanted it, acting purely out of spite.
Spite Example Sentences
She didn’t invite her brother out of spite.
His comments were laced with spite.
She harbored no spite towards her critics.
Their feud was driven by mutual spite.
He felt a twinge of spite when he saw them together.
The gesture was small, but the spite was clear.
The prank was done purely for spite.
She struggled to overcome her feelings of spite.
The letter was written in a moment of spite.
They exchanged words full of spite.
In a fit of spite, he threw away the gifts.
Spite motivated her refusal to cooperate.
Out of spite, he deleted all the photos.
Common Curiosities
Why is it called spite?
It's called "spite" from the Middle French "despit" or Latin "despectus," meaning contempt or disdain, reflecting the intent to harm or annoy.
How many syllables are in spite?
There is 1 syllable in "spite."
What is the verb form of spite?
"Spite" is primarily used as a noun. The related verb form can be “to spite,” meaning to act with spite.
How is spite used in a sentence?
"Spite" is used as a noun in a sentence to refer to a desire to harm or annoy, e.g., He acted out of spite.
How do we divide spite into syllables?
"Spite" is not divided into syllables because it is only one syllable.
What is the pronunciation of spite?
"Spite" is pronounced as /spaɪt/.
What is a stressed syllable in spite?
The single syllable in "spite" is stressed.
What part of speech is spite?
"Spite" is a noun.
What is the root word of spite?
The root word of "spite" is from the Middle French "despit" or from Latin "despectus," meaning contempt or disdain.
What is another term for spite?
Another term for "spite" is "malice."
Is spite a negative or positive word?
"Spite" is a negative word.
Is spite a countable noun?
Yes, "spite" can be considered a countable noun, as in "acts of spite."
Is spite a noun or adjective?
"Spite" is a noun.
Is spite a vowel or consonant?
The word "spite" starts with a consonant, 's'.
Is the spite term a metaphor?
"Spite" can be used metaphorically to describe actions motivated by malice.
Is the word “spite” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Spite" can serve as a direct object in a sentence, e.g., "He felt spite."
Which determiner is used with spite?
Determiners such as "a," "the," and "his/her" can be used with "spite," depending on the context.
What is the opposite of spite?
The opposite of "spite" could be "goodwill" or "benevolence."
Is spite a collective noun?
No, "spite" is not a collective noun.
Is the word spite a Gerund?
No, "spite" is not a gerund. The gerund form related to "spite" would be "spiting."
Which vowel is used before spite?
The vowel used before "spite" depends on the preceding word, not on "spite" itself.
What is the singular form of spite?
The singular form of "spite" is "spite."
What is the plural form of spite?
The plural form of "spite" is "spites."
Is spite an adverb?
No, "spite" is not an adverb.
Is the word spite imperative?
The noun "spite" itself is not imperative, but the verb form "to spite" can be used in imperative sentences, e.g., "Spite your foes."
Is spite an abstract noun?
Yes, "spite" is an abstract noun because it represents an idea or concept rather than something physical.
Which preposition is used with spite?
Prepositions such as "out of" are commonly used with "spite," e.g., "out of spite."
Which conjunction is used with spite?
Conjunctions used with "spite" depend on the sentence structure, not specifically on "spite."
Which article is used with spite?
The articles "a" or "the" are commonly used with "spite," depending on the context.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
