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spite

noun · verb US /spaɪt/

feeling a need to see others suffer

How often you will meet it

Rank 844 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 21,666 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.010% of every word in the library.

It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.

What it means

noun

  1. feeling a need to see others suffer also: malice, maliciousness, spitefulness, venom
  2. malevolence by virtue of being malicious or spiteful or nasty also: cattiness, bitchiness, spitefulness, nastiness

verb

  1. hurt the feelings of also: hurt, wound, injure, bruise, offend She hurt me when she did not include me among her guestsThis remark really bruised my ego

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

spite in real books

Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.

  • He was “sold”; and yet he manifested neither spite nor anger.

    Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1

  • In spite of the horseman's summons, however, the pages paid no attention to him at all.

    The Firelight Fairy Book · Henry Beston · Chapter 1

  • I found it pathetic in spite of my knowing that the whole scene was lighted up by Bardolph's nose.

    The Adventures of Harry Richmond — Complete · George Meredith · Chapter 1

  • In spite of the opposition he met with, he rode away, followed by his household, trusting to chance to help him.

    The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts · World Traditions (Celtic, Norse, Asian & Persian) · Chapter 1

  • When, in spite of all this, he neither spoke nor stirred, she flung the full light of the lamp on his face.

    The Emperor — Volume 02 · Georg Ebers · Chapter 1

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