spites
Acts with malice
Spites is the third-person singular verb form of spite, meaning to deliberately annoy, hurt, or thwart someone out of malice or resentment: She spites her ex by posting photos with his best friend.
The action is typically petty rather than seriously harmful—motivated by wounded feelings rather than calculated revenge.
Active, bitter hostility
- bitternessSharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
- resentmentPersistent bitter displeasure
- ill willHostile or unfriendly feeling
- enmityBitter, lasting ill will
rancor · acrimony · bad blood · grievance · disaffection · umbrage · pique · dudgeon
Active ill will
- crueltyDeliberate harm-causing disposition
- meannessSpiteful, unkind disposition
- nastinessSpiteful or foul quality
- venomInjected animal poison
viciousness · wickedness · malignancy · poison · hurtfulness · sadism · harmfulness · unkindness
Punishing a wrongdoer
- vengeanceRetaliation for injury
- paybackRetaliation for wrongs
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
- reprisalPunitive action in return
getting even · tit for tat · settling scores · backlash · comeuppance · just deserts · eye for an eye · score settling
Limited, ungenerous perspective
- nitpickingExcessive focus on trivialities
- childishnessImmature conduct
- immaturityUndeveloped condition
- triflingOf no real importance
pique · touchiness · oversensitivity · thin-skinned · bruised ego · wounded pride · peevishness
animosity
Active, bitter hostility
- bitternessSharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
- resentmentPersistent bitter displeasure
- ill willHostile or unfriendly feeling
enmity · rancor · acrimony · bad blood · grievance · disaffection · umbrage · pique · dudgeon · loathing
malevolence
Active ill will
- crueltyDeliberate harm-causing disposition
- meannessSpiteful, unkind disposition
- nastinessSpiteful or foul quality
venom · viciousness · wickedness · malignancy · poison · hurtfulness · sadism · harmfulness · unkindness · cold-heartedness
revenge
Punishing a wrongdoer
- vengeanceRetaliation for injury
- paybackRetaliation for wrongs
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
reprisal · getting even · tit for tat · settling scores · backlash · comeuppance · just deserts · eye for an eye · score settling · counterattack
small-mindedness
Limited, ungenerous perspective
- nitpickingExcessive focus on trivialities
- childishnessImmature conduct
- immaturityUndeveloped condition
trifling · pique · touchiness · oversensitivity · thin-skinned · bruised ego · wounded pride · peevishness
spitesloves
Feels deep affection for
cherishes · adores · forgives · affections · benevolences
- 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
spite, despite, spiteful, spitefulness, spitefully, spited, spiting, despiteful