spite
Hostility without cause
Spite is the desire to hurt, annoy, or frustrate someone, often over a petty grievance.
To do something out of spite is to do it purely to cause distress, not for any practical benefit.
The verb means to deliberately annoy or thwart: She married him just to spite her parents.
In spite of means despite or regardless of.
Lacking breadth of thought
- mean-spiritedUnkind in a petty way
- pettyOf little importance
- trivialLacking significance or weight
- nitpickingExcessive focus on trivialities
childish · immature · sulky · jealousy · envy · begrudging · churlish · ungracious
Persistent resentment toward someone
- bitternessSharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
- rancorLasting bitter resentment
- acrimonyBitter ill will
- gallImpudent boldness or bitterness
indignation · umbrage · pique · chagrin · sourness · nursing · harboring · festering
Active ill will
- vindictivenessDisposition toward retaliation
- meannessSpiteful, unkind disposition
- nastinessSpiteful or foul quality
- viciousnessExtreme cruelty or spite
ill-will · cattiness · cruelty · hurtfulness · malignity · venomousness · poison · toxicity
Punishing a wrongdoer
- retaliationPunitive response to injury
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
- paybackRetaliation for wrongs
- reprisalPunitive action in return
comeuppance · tit-for-tat · reciprocity · backlash · nemesis · vengeful · avenge · counterblow
Unyielding adherence to position
- stubbornnessRefusal to yield
- contraryOpposed in nature
- perverseStubbornly unreasonable
- willfulIntentionally unyielding
rebellious · insolence · flouting · thwarting · opposing · resistance · self-defeating
small-minded
Lacking breadth of thought
- mean-spiritedUnkind in a petty way
- pettyOf little importance
- trivialLacking significance or weight
nitpicking · childish · immature · sulky · jealousy · envy · begrudging · churlish · ungracious · snub
grudge
Persistent resentment toward someone
- bitternessSharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
- rancorLasting bitter resentment
- acrimonyBitter ill will
gall · indignation · umbrage · pique · chagrin · sourness · nursing · harboring · festering · simmering
malevolence
Active ill will
- vindictivenessDisposition toward retaliation
- meannessSpiteful, unkind disposition
- nastinessSpiteful or foul quality
viciousness · ill-will · cattiness · cruelty · hurtfulness · malignity · venomousness · poison · toxicity · wounding
revenge
Punishing a wrongdoer
- retaliationPunitive response to injury
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
- paybackRetaliation for wrongs
reprisal · comeuppance · tit-for-tat · reciprocity · backlash · nemesis · vengeful · avenge · counterblow · redress
obstinacy
Unyielding adherence to position
- stubbornnessRefusal to yield
- contraryOpposed in nature
- perverseStubbornly unreasonable
willful · rebellious · insolence · flouting · thwarting · opposing · resistance · self-defeating
- aversionaversion, disgust, hatred, repulsion, loathing
- bad bloodanimosity, hostility, enmity, resentment, grudge
- hatredhate, hateful, abhor, abhorrence, detest
- petty behaviorsmalice, meanness, nastiness, bitterness, resentment
- resentmentresentful, grudge, bitterness, rancor, ill will
- social wrongsrudeness, disrespect, insults, insult, lying
spitegoodwill
Kindly, generous spirit
benevolence · kindness · charity · generosity · magnanimity
spitelove
Intense fond attachment
affection · warmth · fondness · tenderness · sympathy
spiteforgiveness
Releasing resentment toward offenders
mercy · clemency · grace · conciliation · reconciliation
- in spite ofRegardless of something
- in spite of oneselfDespite personal resistance
- cut off one's nose to spite one's faceHarm yourself seeking revenge
- cutting off one's nose to spite one's faceHarming yourself to harm another
- spite fenceBarrier erected from animosity
- spite houseDwelling built to irritate neighbors
despite, despise, spiteful, despicable, spitefulness, spites, spitefully, spited, spiting