as in spoiled
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Dissimilar Words
as in rotting
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in marring
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
too much coddling will spoil the child
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition
the meat has spoiled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
know when to stop, for an unnecessary brushstroke can spoil a painted portrait
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in indulging
to treat with great or excessive care
when they were newlyweds, the wife tended to spoil her husband, but she soon got over that
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spoiling
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
There is no dumber tradition that's come with this insufferable age of social media than spoiling draft picks.
—Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Here's a howler monkey spoiling for a fight.
—Heather Abbott, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
After cocktail hour, Carey arrived, staying out of the guests’ eyeline to avoid spoiling the surprise.
—Lindsey Underwood, Vanity Fair, 17 Apr. 2026
Without spoiling anything, the musical’s new ending resembles the vague finale of the novel.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
April 17's openers have little hope of spoiling Mario's party.
—Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
After Thursday’s game, Weaver faced questions from reporters as an obvious culprit in spoiling McLean’s masterpiece.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Sunday, the Giants allowed four runs in the eighth to the Mets, spoiling Logan Webb’s first great start of the season.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
Food and drink Wilderness is known for serving polished but healthy modern bush fare that’s tasty and spoiling, but not overly rich.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
The Wilderness guides at Magashi Peninsula are well trained, the accommodation and food spoiling, and the wildlife sightings glorious.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
There is no dumber tradition that's come with this insufferable age of social media than spoiling draft picks.
—Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Here's a howler monkey spoiling for a fight.
—Heather Abbott, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
After cocktail hour, Carey arrived, staying out of the guests’ eyeline to avoid spoiling the surprise.
—Lindsey Underwood, Vanity Fair, 17 Apr. 2026
Without spoiling anything, the musical’s new ending resembles the vague finale of the novel.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
April 17's openers have little hope of spoiling Mario's party.
—Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
After Thursday’s game, Weaver faced questions from reporters as an obvious culprit in spoiling McLean’s masterpiece.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Sunday, the Giants allowed four runs in the eighth to the Mets, spoiling Logan Webb’s first great start of the season.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiling
Adjective
-
More and more Americans across the spectrum see Netanyahu’s Israel as a spoiled child, and they’re just fed up with it.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Other warning signs include a damaged or opened lid and an unusual or spoiled smell.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ancient lava fields can be seen as dark lunar maria marring the silvery lunar surface, which themselves are threaded with bright streaks of reflective debris strewn across the surface by violent asteroid strikes.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years for her role in a scheme that involved hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The autopsy was performed in September 2025, days after the body was found decomposing in the Tesla's trunk at a Hollywood tow yard, but the results were ordered sealed by a judge as the Los Angeles Police Department and the county's District Attorney's Office built their case.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Wind gusts reached up to 110 mph, damaging homes throughout the city as the storm moved northeast.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Days of severe storms to come The shift in the weather pattern that sparked Thursday night’s storms will keep the threat level elevated for damaging wind gusts, hail and tornadoes in the central US into early next week.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Their relationship is fascinating, and Guardiola often appears at the end of his tether, but the manager finally recognises that Cherki’s creative talents are worth indulging.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The elder Junod gave off mixed messages, abusing his long-suffering wife while indulging his gifted son.—
Hamilton Cain,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In the fall, the adults would find rotten crescents in the harvest.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
As of Thursday night, the film had a rotten 33 percent critics’ score on Rotten tomatoes.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In detectors filled with liquid argon, the decay of this isotope creates signals that can look deceptively similar to the ones scientists are searching for.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Some formulas can remove surface stains caused by coffee, smoking or wine, while others address tougher stains caused by decay, age or genetics.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Now, streaming is tainting the postseason.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Played by cisgender actress Kathleen Turner, Charles proved to be one of the more divisive characters from Friends, tainting its cultural legacy for some critics.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiling. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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