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Vindictive vs Spiteful - What's the difference?

vindictive | spiteful |

As adjectives the difference between vindictive and spiteful

is that vindictive is having a tendency to seek revenge when wronged, vengeful while spiteful is filled with, or showing, spite; having a desire to vex, annoy, or injure; malignant; malicious.

vindictive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Having a tendency to seek revenge when , vengeful.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=1920 , author=D. H. Lawrence , title=Women in Love , chapter=18 citation , passage=The vindictive mockery in her voice made his brain quiver.}}
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=1933 , author=H. G. Wells , title=The Shape of Things to Come citation , passage=The victors will exact vindictive penalties and the losers of course will undertake to pay, but none of them realizes that money is going to do the most extraordinary things to them when they begin upon that.}}
  • (obsolete) punitive

    • Synonyms

    * vengeful, revengeful, nasty * See also

    Derived terms

    * vindictively * vindictiveness

    Related terms

    * vindicate * vindication * vindicator

    External links

    * * *

    spiteful

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Alternative forms

    * spightful (obsolete) * spightfull (obsolete) * spitefull (archaic)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Filled with, or showing, spite; having a desire to vex, annoy, or injure; malignant; malicious

    • External links

    * *