Spite

/spaɪt/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone.

She did it out of spite, knowing it would upset him.

Malicious or petty ill will.

His spite towards her was evident in the way he spoke.

verb

To intentionally hurt or annoy someone.

He spite her by telling everyone about her mistake.

Middle English 'spite', from the Old French 'espite' which means 'malice'.

spiteful act

An action done with the intention to hurt someone.

in spite of

Without being affected by the particular factor.

spite your face to save your soul

Acting against one's best interest out of spite.

spitefulness

The quality of being spiteful.

spiteful

Showing or caused by spite.

spitefully

In a spiteful manner.

To do something just to annoy someone.

He posted that just to spite his ex.

Taking a risk or making a move out of spite.

She signed up for the competition just to spite her critics.