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Spite vs Mischief - What's the difference?

spite | mischief |

As nouns the difference between spite and mischief

is that spite is ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart; a desire to vex or injure; petty malice; grudge; rancor while mischief is harm or evil caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.

As a verb spite

is to treat maliciously; to try to injure or thwart.

As a preposition spite

is notwithstanding; despite.

spite

English

Etymology 1

From a shortening of (etyl) despit, from (etyl) despit (whence despite). Compare also Dutch spijt.

Noun

(en-noun)
  • Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart; a desire to vex or injure; petty malice; grudge; rancor.
    • He was so filled with spite for his ex-wife, he could not hold down a job.
    They did it just for spite .
  • * Shakespeare
    • This is the deadly spite that angers.
  • (obsolete) Vexation; chagrin; mortification.
    • "The time is out of joint: O cursed spite." Shakespeare, Hamlet

    Verb

    (spit)
  • To treat maliciously; to try to injure or thwart.
    • She soon married again, to spite her ex-husband.
  • (obsolete) To be angry at; to hate.
    • The Danes, then pagans, spited places of religion. — Fuller.
  • To fill with spite; to offend; to vex.
    • Darius, spited at the Magi, endeavoured to abolish not only their learning, but their language. — Sir. W. Temple.
    Related terms
    * spiteful * in spite of * despite

    See also

    * malignant * malicious

    Etymology 2

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • Notwithstanding; despite.

    • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * ----

    mischief

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Harm or evil caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.
  • One who causes mischief. In a milder sense, one who causes petty annoyances. mischief-maker.
  • Vexatious or annoying conduct.

    • Quotations

    * 1914–1915' "I fear this means that there is some '''mischief afoot." — Sherlock Holmes in ''.

    Synonyms

    * (evil) agitation, annoyance, corruption, damage, demolition, destruction, detriment, disablement, disruption, evil, harm, hurt, ill, impairment, incapacitation, injury, nuisance, pique, ravage, sabotage, scathe, trouble, undoing, unmaking, vexation, weakening, wrong * (mischief-maker) bad boy, booger, buffoon, bugger, cutup, devil, elf, enfant terrible, fun-maker, hell-raiser, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, imp, joker, jokester, knave, life of the party, little devil, little monkey, little rascal, minx, mischief-maker, pixie, practical joker, prankster, puck, rapscallion, rascal, rogue, rowdy, ruffian, scamp, scapegrace, thug, trouble maker, vandal, wag * (annoying conduct) bad manners, badness, delinquincy, devilishness, devilment, devilry, deviltry, disobedience, elfishness, goings-on, hanky-panky, impishness, impropriety, misbehavior, mischievousness, misconduct, misdemeanor, monkey business, naughtiness, prankishness, pranksomeness, puckishness, rascality, roguery, roguishness, scampishness * See also * See also

    Derived terms

    * malicious mischief * mischievous * mischievously * mischievousness * mischief-maker