Spiteful

/ˈspaɪt.fəl/

Meaning & Definition

adjective

Showing or caused by spite; deliberately hurtful.

Her spiteful comments during the meeting created tension among team members.

Full of spite; venomous.

He made a spiteful decision to not invite her to the party after their argument.

Intent on harming someone's feelings or reputation.

The spiteful rumors spread throughout the school, damaging his reputation.

Derived from 'spite' (Old French 'espite', from Latin 'spiritus' meaning 'soul, breath, life') + 'ful' forming an adjective.

in spite of:

Without being affected or prevented by; despite.

out of spite:

Done to hurt or annoy someone.

spiteful behavior:

Actions taken to intentionally annoy or harm someone.

Throwing shade

She was throwing shade at him during the meeting, being very spiteful.

Petty

His petty actions were cruel and spiteful.