Standard Lemma guide

spiteful

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈspaɪtfʊl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S P AY1 T F AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Filled with, or showing, spite; having a desire to annoy or harm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: malignant, malicious, nasty, barbarous, bowelless, brutal, compassionless, cruel, demonic, despiteful, diabolic, diabolical, fell, incessive, inclement, inhuman, inhumane, merciless, nonhumane, pitiless, remorseless, rotten, ruthless, sadistic, savage, spiteful, truculent, unbenevolent, unbenign, unkind, unmerciful, unpitiful, unpitying

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a despiteful fiend
  • a truly spiteful child
  • a vindictive man will look for occasions for resentment

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: despiteful, vindictive

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English spytefulle. By surface analysis, spite + -ful.

Across languages

Translations

56 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: kinli — filled with spite
  • Belarusian: зло́сны (zlósny) — filled with spite
  • Belarusian: зласлі́вы (zlaslívy) — filled with spite
  • Bulgarian: зло́бен (zlóben) — filled with spite
  • Bulgarian: злостен (zlosten) — filled with spite
  • Catalan: maliciós — filled with spite
  • Catalan: rancuniós — filled with spite
  • Chinese Mandarin: 刻毒 (kèdú) — filled with spite
  • Czech: zlomyslný — filled with spite
  • Czech: škodolibý — filled with spite
  • Czech: nenávistný — filled with spite
  • Czech: záštiplný — filled with spite
  • Danish: ondsindet — filled with spite
  • Danish: ondskabsfuld — filled with spite
  • Dutch: hatelijk — filled with spite
  • Dutch: rancuneus — filled with spite
  • Dutch: onheus — filled with spite
  • French: rancunier — filled with spite
  • Galician: malicioso — filled with spite
  • Galician: malévolo — filled with spite
  • German: gehässig — filled with spite
  • German: boshaft — filled with spite
  • Hindi: द्वेषी (dveṣī) — filled with spite
  • Hindi: अपकारी (apkārī) — filled with spite
  • Irish: aiciseach — filled with spite
  • Irish: dúchroíoch — filled with spite
  • Italian: dispettoso — filled with spite
  • Italian: vendicativo — filled with spite
  • Japanese: 悪意のある (akui no aru) — filled with spite
  • Japanese: 意地の悪い (iji no warui) — filled with spite
  • Japanese: 意地悪な (ijiwaru na) — filled with spite
  • Japanese: 意地悪い (ijiwarui) — filled with spite
  • Māori: waniwani — filled with spite
  • Māori: turatura — filled with spite
  • Māori: kaikino — filled with spite
  • Eastern Mari: аяр (ajar) — filled with spite
  • Polish: złośliwy — filled with spite
  • Polish: robiący na złość — filled with spite
  • Polish: wredny — filled with spite
  • Portuguese: malévolo — filled with spite
  • Portuguese: danoso — filled with spite
  • Portuguese: rancoroso — filled with spite
  • Romanian: malițios — filled with spite
  • Romanian: răutăcios — filled with spite
  • Romanian: ranchiunos — filled with spite
  • Russian: зло́бный (zlóbnyj) — filled with spite
  • Russian: злой (zloj) — filled with spite
  • Russian: недоброжела́тельный (nedobroželátelʹnyj) — filled with spite
  • Russian: зло́стный (zlóstnyj) — filled with spite
  • Spanish: malévolo — filled with spite
  • Spanish: rencoroso — filled with spite
  • Spanish: venenoso — filled with spite
  • Swedish: illvillig — filled with spite
  • Swedish: ondskefull — filled with spite
  • Ottoman Turkish: نسبتجی (nisbetci) — filled with spite
  • Ukrainian: зло́бний (zlóbnyj) — filled with spite