as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
cut down their neighbors' tree out of sheer spitefulness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spitefulness
Noun
-
Global banks aren’t necessarily acting out of malice.—
Wale Ayeni,
semafor.com,
14 July 2025 -
Beneath the inevitable finger-pointing and politicizing, there is often a genuine, even desperate, human impulse to find fault not out of malice, but out of mourning and a desire to find solutions.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
Do not follow the myths by trying to suck out the venom or cutting the wound or even using a tourniquet.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
11 July 2025
-
Beyond dialing 911 and seeking medical attention, Starkey and the National Park Service recommend taking these actions in the aftermath of a rattler strike: Stop moving the limb where the bite occurred to limit the spread of the venom.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
There’s a great tradition in sports of being driven by a fear, or a hatred, of that feeling.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
She’s been feeling so much hatred, so much anger, so much sadness, so much disappointment these last few episodes.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
The new law adds to existing municipal ordinances that forbid animal cruelty or neglect, including leaving a pet in too small of a space or outside in the hot Florida sun.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
3 July 2025
-
Miller faces four counts of cruelty to a companion animal and 34 counts of complicity.—
Aaron Valdez,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
And in spite of the inner change faith induces, converts rarely speak of it as a conscious decision but as a potent fact that intervenes, imposes, and persuades.—
Terry Nguyen
July 23,
Literary Hub,
23 July 2025
-
Here’s why employers in 2025 are hiring you because of your side hustle, not in spite of it.—
Andrew Fennell,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Spitefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spitefulness. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share