What does spite mean?
Spite is a forceful English word for conduct motivated by resentment or a desire to upset someone. As a verb, it describes deliberately annoying, embarrassing, or otherwise harming another person: a speaker might insult someone out of spite, or a sibling might refuse to help purely in reaction to a perceived slight. As a noun, spite refers to the hostile attitude behind such behavior, most often appearing in the expression “out of spite.” The word conveys intentional unpleasantness rather than ordinary disagreement, so it implies malice, wounded pride, or vindictiveness. Its blunt, emotionally charged character makes it especially useful when the motivation behind an action is important. In journalism and historical writing, “spite” can also describe personal or political hostility that shapes decisions and relationships.
To deliberately annoy, upset, or cause harm to someone out of resentment or hostility.
"He changed the plan in spite to disrupt the meeting."
The verb usually implies deliberate intent to provoke or hurt someone. It is commonly used with “out of spite” or with an indirect object: “to spite someone.”
A malicious or resentful desire to hurt or annoy someone.
"She refused the invitation out of spite."
The noun is especially common in the expression “out of spite.” It denotes a hostile attitude and is more strongly judgmental than words such as annoyance or irritation.
The plural is uncommon in modern usage; “out of spite” is normally used in the singular.
"The old rivalries turned into a series of spites."
Out of spite, we sometimes act against our own interests simply because someone else has succeeded.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spite come from?
The word entered Middle English from Old French spiter, meaning to act or speak in a hostile or contemptuous way. English later developed closely related forms such as spiteful and spitefully, which preserve the modern sense of deliberate malice or resentment. The French word belongs to a family associated with looking or speaking in a disparaging manner.
Related word forms
How spite is actually used
The noun is commonly used in the fixed expression “out of spite.” The verb often implies a deliberate action intended to wound or provoke, not merely an unpleasant accident. The word generally carries a strongly negative and somewhat confrontational tone.
Easily confused with spite
Spite is typically a verb meaning to annoy someone deliberately, whereas spiteful is an adjective describing a person, attitude, or remark marked by resentment or malice.
Despise means to regard someone or something with contempt, while to spite someone means deliberately to annoy or antagonize them.