spite

spite
[[t]spa͟ɪt[/t]]
♦♦♦
1) PHR-PREP You use in spite of to introduce a fact which makes the rest of the statement you are making seem surprising.

Josef Krips at the State Opera hired her in spite of the fact that she had never sung on stage...

Their love of life comes in spite of, almost in defiance of, considerable hardship.

Syn:
2) PHR-PREP: PREP pron-refl If you do something in spite of yourself, you do it although you did not really intend to or expect to.

The blunt comment made Richard laugh in spite of himself...

She was deeply moved and in spite of herself could not help showing it.

3) N-UNCOUNT If you do something cruel out of spite, you do it because you want to hurt or upset someone.

I refused her a divorce, out of spite I suppose...

Never had she met such spite and pettiness.

4) VERB: only to-inf If you do something cruel to spite someone, you do it in order to hurt or upset them.

[V n] Pantelaras was giving his art collection away for nothing, to spite Marie and her husband.

5) to cut off your nose to spite your facesee nose

English dictionary. 2008.

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  • Spite — Spite, n. [Abbreviated fr. despite.] 1. Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart; petty malice; grudge; rancor; despite. Pope. [1913 Webster] This is the deadly spite that angers. Shak.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spite of — Spite Spite, n. [Abbreviated fr. despite.] 1. Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart; petty malice; grudge; rancor; despite. Pope. [1913 Webster] This is the deadly spite that angers.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spite — ► NOUN ▪ a desire to hurt, annoy, or offend. ► VERB ▪ deliberately hurt, annoy, or offend. ● in spite of Cf. ↑in spite of ● in spite of oneself Cf. ↑in spite of oneself …   English terms dictionary

  • Spite — Spite, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spited}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Spiting}.] 1. To be angry at; to hate. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] The Danes, then . . . pagans, spited places of religion. Fuller. [1913 Webster] 2. To treat maliciously; to try to injure or thwart …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spite — [spīt] n. [ME, aphetic < despite: see DESPITE] 1. a) a mean or evil feeling toward another, characterized by the inclination to hurt, humiliate, annoy, frustrate, etc.; ill will; malice b) an instance of this; a grudge 2. Obs. something… …   English World dictionary

  • spite — (n.) c.1300, shortened form of despit malice (see DESPITE (Cf. despite)). Corresponding to M.Du. spijt, M.L.G. spyt, M.Swed. spit. Commonly spelled spight c.1575 1700. The verb is attested from c.1400. Phrase in spite of is recorded from c.1400 …   Etymology dictionary

  • spite — [n] hateful feeling animosity, antipathy, bad blood*, contempt, despite, enmity, gall, grudge, harsh feeling, hate, hatred, ill will, malevolence, malice, maliciousness, malignity, peeve, pique, rancor, resentment, revenge, spitefulness, spleen,… …   New thesaurus

  • spite — I noun acrimoniousness, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, bitterness, cattiness, contempt, defiance, despite, enmity, gall, grudge, harsh feeling, hate, hatred, hostility, ill feeling, ill nature, ill will, inimicality, intolerance, livor …   Law dictionary

  • Spite — Le nom est originaire de Moselle. On trouve également en Lorraine la variante Spit. Sens incertain. Peut être une autre forme de Spitz (voir ce nom) …   Noms de famille

  • spite — n despite, malignity, malignancy, spleen, grudge, *malice, ill will, malevolence Analogous words: rancor, animus, antipathy (see ENMITY): vindictiveness, revengefulness or revenge, vengefulness or ven geance (see corresponding adjectives at… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • spite — spite1 W3 [spaıt] n [U] [Date: 1200 1300; Origin: despite (noun) (13 20 centuries); DESPITE] 1.) in spite of sth without being affected or prevented by something = ↑despite ▪ We went out in spite of the rain. ▪ Kelly loved her husband in spite of …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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