Thesaurus
spoil
verb
Synonyms and Antonyms of SPOIL
1
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable <too much coddling will spoil the child>
Related Words begrime, besmear, besmirch, blacken, blur, cloud, dirty, discolor, pollute, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, soil, sully, tar; abase, cheapen, debase, degrade, demean, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, foul, lower, shame, sink; bastardize, corrupt, debauch, demoralize, deprave, pervert, subvert; color, distort, twist
2
to go through decomposition <the meat has spoiled>
Synonyms break down, corrupt, decompose, disintegrate, fester, foul, mold, molder, perish [chiefly British], putrefy, rot, spoil
Related Words sour, turn, turn off [British]; contaminate, defile, pollute, taint; addle, curdle, ferment; mortify; rust; crumble, decline, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, dilapidate, sink, wither
3
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of <know when to stop, for an unnecessary brushstroke can spoil a painted portrait>
Synonyms blemish, bloody, break, compromise, crab, cripple, cross (up), deface, disfigure, endamage, flaw, harm, hurt, impair, injure, mar, spoil, vitiate
Related Words deteriorate, enervate, enfeeble, undermine, weaken; erode, scour, wash out, wear (away); blight, tarnish; dent, ding, dint; botch, gum (up), queer; lacerate, wound; disable, hamstring, lame, maim, mangle, mutilate, torment, torture; annihilate, bang up, bash, batter, clobber, crush, dash, decimate, demolish, desolate, destroy, devastate, do in, pulverize, raze, ruin, scourge, shatter, smash, tear down, total, waste, wipe out, wreck
4
to treat with great or excessive care <when they were newlyweds, the wife tended to spoil her husband, but she soon got over that>
Related Words cater (to), humor; content, delight, gladden, gratify, mother, oblige, please, satisfy; appease, mollify, pacify, placate, soothe
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up spoil[verb]? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).