ENGLISH
REFERENCE

spiteful

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈspaɪtfəɫ// UK //spˈaɪtfəl// spite·ful

adj. behaving in a way that is mean or cruel just to hurt someone else. You use this to describe someone who does something annoying on purpose.

adj. behaving in a manner intended to cause harm or annoyance to another person. Often used to describe actions or words that are deliberately cruel or petty.


SIMPLE

He made a spiteful comment about my new car.

CONTEXTUAL

The spiteful remarks from the former colleague made it difficult for the new manager to focus on her work.

COMPLEX

The spiteful nature of the letter suggested that the author was not merely seeking to settle a dispute, but to ensure that the recipient would feel as much pain as possible.

Synonyms
Origin

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

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