spite
US /spaɪt/
Definition
a desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone; used in 'in spite of'
High-priority prepositional phrase in Part 5 ('in spite of' + noun phrase).
Examples
In spite of the heavy rain, the event started on time.
Synonyms
- malicethe intention or desire to do evil or harm others
- grudgea persistent feeling of ill will or resentment
Collocations
- Easy in spite of the rainregardless of rainfall or precipitation
- Medium in spite of market difficultiesnotwithstanding prevailing industry obstacles
- Hard act out of sheer spitebehaving purely from malice or ill will
- Very Hard cut off one's nose to spite one's facehurting oneself in an irrational effort to damage an opponent
Learner's English edition · Curated definitions for TOEIC learners.