spite
gb/spˈaɪt/ us/spˈaɪt/
B2
English
~ 2900
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
state
1
Desire to harm or upset
A bad feeling that makes you want to hurt or upset someone because you are angry at them.
Usage pattern:
in spite toward [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'spite' with 'despite'. 'Spite' is about a bad feeling toward someone; 'despite' means 'although'.
Synonyms
malice (A more formal term for the desire to harm others, often used in legal or serious contexts.)
|
vindictiveness (Stronger and more sustained desire for revenge than 'spite'.)
Antonyms
goodwill (A friendly or kindly feeling toward others, opposite of wanting to harm them.)
Collocations
out of spite
|in spite
|pure spite
|spite and malice
Themes
emotions
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She refused to invite him out of spite.
- He broke her favorite mug just to spite her.
- The decision seemed motivated more by spite than by reason.
- They continued the argument purely out of spite.
Learner examples
- She didn’t talk to him out of spite.
- He said mean words out of spite.
- She made the choice from spite.
- He acted from spite, not need.
Verb
B2
action
2
Deliberately hurt or annoy
To do something to hurt or upset someone because you are angry at them.
Usage pattern:
to spite [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'spite' as a verb with 'despise', which means 'to strongly dislike'. They are different.
Synonyms
provoke (Focuses on causing a reaction, not necessarily from resentment.)
|
offend (Focuses on causing emotional hurt, not always intentional out of resentment.)
Antonyms
please (To make someone happy or satisfied, opposite of hurting them intentionally.)
Collocations
spite someone
|spite her/him/them
|spite the boss
Themes
emotions
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He spread the rumor just to spite his coworker.
- She wore the dress he hated to spite him.
- They refused to help purely to spite their rivals.
Learner examples
- He did it to spite her.
- She said it to spite him.
- They ignored me to spite me.
Grammar
Dictionary form
spite
IPA
GB/spˈaɪt/
US/spˈaɪt/
Syllables & stress
spite (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (spite)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: spite
- Plural: spite
Verb
- Base: spite
- 3rd Person Singular: spites
- Present Participle: spiting
- Past: spited
Word family
Forms
spites
verb
spiting
verb
spited
verb
Core family
spiteful
adjective
spitefully
adverb
Related words
spitefulness
noun
despite
preposition B1
Expressions
cut off your nose to spite your face
1/kˈʌt ˈɔf jˈʊɹ nˈoʊz tə spˈaɪt jˈʊɹ fˈeɪs/
idiom
informal
Hurt yourself trying to hurt others
To do something that harms you because you are angry and want to hurt someone else.
Examples
- Quitting your job without another one lined up is like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
- Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face just because you’re mad at him.
in spite of
1/ˈɪn spˈaɪt əv/
fixed phrase
Without being affected by
Even though something might stop you, it does not.
Examples
- In spite of the rain, they went for a walk.
- She succeeded in spite of many difficulties.