Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Filled with, prompted by, or showing spite; malicious.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Filled with spite; having a malevolent or grudging disposition; malicious.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Filled with, or showing, spite; having a desire to vex, annoy, or injure; malignant; malicious.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Filled with, or showing, spite; having a desire to vex, annoy, or injure; malignant; malicious

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From spite +‎ -ful

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Examples

  • Because he became known as a spiteful, mean-spirited man who deliberately badmouthed anyone who was more successful than he was.

    Kristine Kathryn Rusch » Freelancer’s Survival Guide: Surviving Someone Else’s Jealousy 2010

  • Being nasty, mean-spirited or spiteful is not going to bring down gas prices, stop the war or unite this broken country!

    Delegate update: Obama 35 away 2008

  • Because he became known as a spiteful, mean-spirited man who deliberately badmouthed anyone who was more successful than he was.

    Kristine Kathryn Rusch » 2010 » January » 21 2010

  • It is no better when it is vented in spiteful and mischievous language: He that utters slander is a fool too, for God will sooner or later bring forth that righteousness as the light which he endeavours to cloud, and will find an expedient to roll the reproach away.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon) 1721

  • I am sure that Melanie knows who her supporters are and will not think that I attack her when its obvious to any normal mind that I never do. you along with anthony and sarah just show what a load of childish right wing nutters you really are, twisting words and sentiments to your own ends. "spiteful" - what a ridiculous remark, maybe you should try a dictionary.

    On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2008

  • The really evil libidinous people, that is to say the spiteful, the mean, the base and inhuman, fly from his presence, and for the obvious reason that he makes sex-pleasure so generous, so gay, so natural, so legitimate, that their dark morbid perverted natures can get no more joy out of it.

    Visions and Revisions A Book of Literary Devotions John Cowper Powys 1917

  • But if you resent a baby's holding you by the throat and trying to gouge out your eye with a wooden ladle, you are called a spiteful beast, and "shoo'd" all round the garden.

    Novel Notes 1893

  • The attack on the British Embassy, which its ambassador described as "spiteful, mindless vandalism," has left many in limbo, both in Britain and Iran.

    Reuters: Top News 2011

  • The attack on the British Embassy, which its ambassador described as "spiteful, mindless vandalism," has left many in limbo, both in Britain and Iran.

    Reuters: Top News 2011

  • So, yes, it would be crazy for Germans to let some kind of spiteful attitude toward fun-loving and overly-indebted southern Europeans allow an economic catastrophe to sweep across the continent.

    Matthew Yglesias » Will Greece Get a Bailout? 2010

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