Meanings
spite1
plural spites · alternative obsolete spight
- uncountableusuallyIll will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the desire to unjustifiably irritate, annoy, or thwart; a want to disturb or put out another; mild malice.
They did it just for spite.
4 more examples
He was so filled with spite for his ex-wife, his brother was afraid of what he might do.
This is the deadly spite that angers.
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]Out of spite, the human beings pretended not to believe that it was Snowball who had destroyed the windmill: they said that it had fallen down because the walls were too thin.
1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLCsex with older men was a way to both internalize my spite towards my mother and to find security in a father figure I lacked with my own father.
2014, Emivita, By Any Means Necessary: My Personal Struggles with Good and Evil - obsoleteuncountableusuallyVexation; chagrin; mortification.
"The time is out of joint: O cursed spite."
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]
present singular third person spites · participle present spiting · participle past spited · past spited · alternative obsolete spight
- obsoletetransitiveTo be angry at; to hate.
The Danes, then […] pagans, principally spited places of religion.
1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI)Synonyms: abhor, detest, loathe, abhor, abominate, can't stand, can't stand the sight of, despise
- transitiveTo fill with spite; to offend; to vex.
1 more example
But the laſt and fatal Blow, given to that antient Learning, was in the time of Darius, Father of Xerxes, who with the reſt of the Perſians, ſpighted at the Magi, upon the Uſurpation of the Crown by one of their Number, (that counterfeited a younger Son of Cyrus after the Death of Cambyſes,) when he came to be ſetled in that Throne, endeavour'd to aboliſh, not only their Learning and Credit, but their Language too, by changing the old Aſſyrian Characters, and introducing thoſe of Perſia, which grew to be the common Uſe of that whole Empire.
a. 1700 (date written), William Temple, “Some Thoughts upon Reviewing the Essay of Antient and Modern Learning”, in Miscellanea. The Third Part. […], London: […] Jonathan Swift, […] Benjamin Tooke, […], published 1701, →OCLC, pages 240–241Synonyms: affront, insult, misbid, abuse, affront, burn, carry, cut down
spite2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounIll will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the desire to unjustifiably irritate, annoy, or thwart; a want to disturb or put out another; mild malice.
verbTo be angry at; to hate.
verbTo fill with spite; to offend; to vex.
More synonyms by meaning
nounfeeling a need to see others suffer
nounmalevolence by virtue of being malicious or spiteful or nasty
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindēspiciō“to look down, despise”
- Latindēspectum“looking down on”
- Old Frenchdespit
- Middle Englishspit
- Englishspite
From Middle English spit, a shortening of despit (whence despite), from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectum (“looking down on”), from Latin dēspiciō (“to look down, despise”). Compare also North Frisian spīt, spīd (“regret”), Saterland Frisian Spiet (“regret, remorse”), West Frisian spyt (“regret”), Dutch spijt (“regret, remorse”), German Low German Spiet (“anger, regret, remorse”), German Spiet (“annoyance, vexation”), Swedish spit (“insult, outrage, annoyance”), Norwegian spit (“insult, outrage, annoyance”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic حِقْد, ضَغِينَة
- حِقْد (ḥiqd)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- ضَغِينَة (ḍaḡīna)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Basque despit
- despitill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Bulgarian злина, злоба
- злина (zlina)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- злоба (zloba)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- проклетия (prokletija)vexation, chagrin, mortification
- дразня (draznja)to treat maliciously
- ядосвам (jadosvam)to treat maliciously
- мразя (mrazja)to be angry at; to hate
- ненавиждам (nenaviždam)to be angry at; to hate
Catalan despit
- despitill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Chinese Mandarin 赌气
- 赌气 (dǔ qì)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Czech zlomyslnost, zášť
- zlomyslnostill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- zášťill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- zlostill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- nevraživostill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- zlovůleill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- udělat naschválto treat maliciously
Danish mishandle, hade
- mishandleto treat maliciously
- hadeto be angry at; to hate
Dutch boosaardigheid, wrok
- boosaardigheidill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- wrokill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- ergernisvexation, chagrin, mortification
- droefheidvexation, chagrin, mortification
- ascesevexation, chagrin, mortification
- irritatievexation, chagrin, mortification
- mishandelento treat maliciously
- hatento be angry at; to hate
Esperanto spiti
- spitiill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Estonian vahkviha, tusk
- vahkvihaill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- tuskvexation, chagrin, mortification
- meelehärmvexation, chagrin, mortification
Finnish pahansuopuus, ilkeys
- pahansuopuusill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- ilkeysill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- häijyysill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- kaunaill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- katkeruusill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- mielipahavexation, chagrin, mortification
- kiusatato treat maliciously
- ärsyttääto treat maliciously
- loukatato treat maliciously
French dépit, rancune
- dépitill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- rancuneill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- dépitvexation, chagrin, mortification
German Boshaftigkeit, Gehässigkeit
- Boshaftigkeitill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- Gehässigkeitill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- Ärgernisvexation, chagrin, mortification
- ärgernto treat maliciously
- es heimzahlento treat maliciously
- misshandelnto treat maliciously
- hassento be angry at; to hate
- ärgernto fill with spite
Hindi कीना, खुनस
- कीना (kīnā)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- खुनस (khunas)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- चिढ़ (ciṛh)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- द्वेष (dveṣ)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- कुनह (kunah)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- जलापा (jalāpā)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- ख़ार (xār)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- विद्वेष (vidveṣ)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- बुग़्ज़ (buġz)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- असूया (asūyā)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- जलन (jalan)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Hungarian rosszindulat, rosszakarat
- rosszindulatill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- rosszakaratill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- bosszantto fill with spite
Irish aicis
- aicisill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Italian rancore, malevolenza
- rancoreill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- malevolenzaill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- ripiccaill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- dispettovexation, chagrin, mortification
- vessareto treat maliciously
Malay dendam
- dendamill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Māori kaikino, hūneinei
- kaikinoill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- hūneineiill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- hūneineivexation, chagrin, mortification
Persian کینه, زلیفن
- کینه (kine)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- زلیفن (zelifan)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Polish niechęć, uraza
- niechęćill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- urazaill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- złośćill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- przekoraill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- przekornośćill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Portuguese desprezo, rancor
- desprezoill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- rancorill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- provocarto treat maliciously
- desprezarto be angry at; to hate
Romanian ciudă, răutate
- ciudăill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- răutateill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- ranchiunăill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- supărarevexation, chagrin, mortification
- disprețvexation, chagrin, mortification
- vexațiunevexation, chagrin, mortification
- face în ciudăto treat maliciously
- urîto be angry at; to hate
- ofensato fill with spite
- vexato fill with spite
Russian недоброжелательность, враждебность
- недоброжелательность (nedobroželatelʹnostʹ)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- враждебность (vraždebnostʹ)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- злость (zlostʹ)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- насолить (nasolitʹ)to treat maliciously
- ненавидеть (nenavidetʹ)to be angry at; to hate
- злить (zlitʹ)to fill with spite
Spanish despecho, ojeriza
- despechoill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- ojerizaill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- sañaill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- enfadarto fill with spite
Swedish illvilja
- illviljaill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Turkish kin, garaz
- kinill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
- garazill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Ukrainian злість
- злість (zlistʹ)ill-will or hatred toward another; a desire to vex or injure
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with spite
Anagrams
Cite this entry
spite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spite
“spite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spite. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spite,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spite.
Source: spite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.