Meanings
plural spoilsports · alternative spoil-sport
- Someone who puts an end to others' fun, especially harmless fun.
I know I am a sad spoilsport, but it would make me wretched.
1908, E[dward] M[organ] Forster, chapter XIV, in A Room with a View, London: Edward Arnold, →OCLC1 more example
He looks a spoilsport. There are men in whose presence it is impossible to have any fun: men who are a sort of walking conscience.
1912 February 6 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Androcles and the Lion”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, Act II, page 31Synonyms: addle-plot, buzzkill, cold fish, curmudgeon, dampener, downer, fun sponge, grinch
comparative more spoilsport · superlative most spoilsport · alternative spoil-sport
- Like a spoilsport.
It may seem somewhat spoilsport to focus in on this negative after another important victory but to ignore it would be delusion. Southgate will not be letting it escape his attention.
2019 September 10, Phil McNulty, “'England horribly fallible in defence' against Kosovo in Euro 2020 qualifying”, in BBC SportSynonyms: marplot
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSomeone who puts an end to others' fun, especially harmless fun.
adjectiveLike a spoilsport.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomeone who spoils the pleasure of others
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From the verbal expression spoil sport (“ruin the amusement”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan aixafaguitarres, esgarriacries
- aixafaguitarressomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- esgarriacriessomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Chinese Mandarin 潑冷水的人 /泼冷水的人, 掃興的人 /扫兴的人
- 潑冷水的人 /泼冷水的人 (pōlěngshuǐ de rén)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
- 掃興的人 /扫兴的人 (sǎoxìng de rén)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
- 煞風景的人 /煞风景的人 (shāfēngjǐng de rén)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
Czech škarohlíd, morous
- škarohlídsomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- moroussomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Danish lyseslukker
- lyseslukkersomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Dutch pretbederver, spelbreker
- pretbederversomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- spelbrekersomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- spelbederversomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Estonian tujurikkuja
- tujurikkujasomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Finnish ilonpilaaja
- ilonpilaajasomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
French rabat-joie, trouble-fête
- rabat-joiesomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- trouble-fêtesomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
German Spielverderber, Spielverderberin
- Spielverderbersomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- Spielverderberinsomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- Spaßverderbersomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- Spaßverderberinsomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- Spaßbremsesomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Hebrew מַשְׁבִּית שְׂמָחוֹת, הורס מסיבות
- מַשְׁבִּית שְׂמָחוֹת (mashbít smakhót)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
- הורס מסיבותsomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Hungarian ünneprontó
- ünneprontósomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Icelandic gleðispillir
- gleðispillirsomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Irish seargánach, cnádánaí
- seargánachsomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- cnádánaísomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Italian guastafeste
- guastafestesomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Latin occīsor fēstārum
- occīsor fēstārumsomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Norwegian Bokmål gledesdreper, festbrems
- gledesdrepersomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- festbremssomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Polish drewniak, ponurak
- drewniaksomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- ponuraksomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- smutassomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Portuguese desmancha-prazeres m or f estraga-prazeres
- desmancha-prazeres m or f estraga-prazeressomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Russian кайфоло́м m кайфоло́мка, обло́мщик
- кайфоло́м m кайфоло́мка (kajfolóm)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
- обло́мщик (oblómščik)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
- обло́мщица (oblómščica)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
- зану́да (zanúda)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
- брюзга́ (brjuzgá)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
- ны́тик (nýtik)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
- душни́ла (dušníla)someone who puts an end to harmless fun
Spanish cortarrollos, aguafiestas
- cortarrollossomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- aguafiestassomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- mala ondasomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- muermosomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Swedish glädjedödare
- glädjedödaresomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Tagalog basag-trip
- basag-tripsomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Turkish mızıkçı, oyunbozan
- mızıkçısomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- oyunbozansomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Welsh surbwch, lladdwr hwyl
- surbwchsomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
- lladdwr hwylsomeone who puts an end to harmless fun
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with spoilsport
Cite this entry
spoilsport. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spoilsport
“spoilsport.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spoilsport. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spoilsport,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spoilsport.
Source: spoilsport on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.