to spite

Examples

• All

• Carol wanted the boy alive only to spite her own husband.

  Fiction book (1997)

• So she did it only to spite me.

  Titanic (1997)

• And you are giving it to me only in order to spite your sister and her children.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Ask a question and they say no just to spite you, just to get you out of their face.

  Fiction book (1992)

• The lengths my brother will go to just to spite his father.

  Pearl (2022)

• Maybe order some dessert, just to spite them.

  Hope Floats (1998)

• He did it just to spite her.

  Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)

• Dawson's gonna go to jail just to spite me.

  A Few Good Men (1992)

• They're doing it to spite me.

  Spice World (1997)

• He spread rumors about her just to spite her for getting a promotion.

Synonyms

H

to hurt

vsto spite

∞ 1.0

Make someone suffer physical or emotional pain

is a deliberate malicious act aimed at damaging feelings rather than general pain

I

to insult

vsto spite

• Offensive

543 2.1

To say or do something rude to someone

acts to hurt out of malice rather than only using rude words

O

to offend

vsto spite

524 2.8

Cause a person to feel hurt, upset and angry because of your words or actions

acts to hurt deliberately out of malice instead of simply causing upset

W

to wound

vsto spite

110 5.7

To hurt a person's feelings deeply

aims to hurt deliberately out of malice rather than only causing deep pain

I

to injure

vsto spite

52 2.5

Hurt someone's feelings by saying or doing something

intends to harm out of malice rather than simply causing emotional damage

B

to bruise

vsto spite

• Informal

33 4.2

To hurt someone's feelings or pride

is meant to hurt deliberately out of malice rather than a single unkind act

Idioms

I

in spite of

211 1.8

Despite a problem or difficulty, something happens anyway

C

to cut off your nose to spite your face

• Informal

1 9.8

Deliberately do something that hurts you more than the person you want to punish

I

in spite of appearance

6.3

Even though something looks like that, the real situation is different

How Hurtful

to harm

738 1.0

to hurt

∞ 1.0

to spite

28 4.9

to offend

524 2.8

to annoy

246 1.0

to irritate

17 3.4

Surface Forms

Etymology