What does it cut off your nose to spite your face mean?
: to do something that is meant to harm someone else but that also harms the person who does it You can refuse to talk to her if you like, but you’re just cutting off your nose to spite your face.
What does spite you mean?
transitive verb. 1a : annoy, offend. b : to fill with spite. 2 : to treat maliciously (as by shaming or thwarting)
What is the synonym for spite?
Some common synonyms of spite are grudge, ill will, malevolence, malice, malignity, and spleen. While all these words mean “the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress,” spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments.
What is spiteful behavior?
When you’re spiteful, you act in a mean way, with a desire to hurt someone. If your little brother was driving you crazy, you could calmly ignore him — or you could give him a spiteful pinch. If you act or speak with the desire to hurt, bother, or infuriate someone, you are being spiteful.
What are antonyms for spite?
antonyms for spite
- admiration.
- affection.
- approval.
- benevolence.
- forgiveness.
- good will.
- happiness.
- kindness.
What is it called when someone does something out of spite?
3. uncountable noun. 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. Synonyms: malice, malevolence, ill will, hate More Synonyms of spite.
What is synonyms for spite?
What are synonyms for spiteful?
contemptuous,
What is spiteful behaviour?
What’s the meaning for spite?
petty ill will or hatred
1 : petty ill will or hatred with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart. 2 : an instance of spite. in spite of. : in defiance or contempt of : without being prevented by succeeded in spite of their opposition. spite.
What does it mean to be spiteful person?
/ˈspaɪt.fəl/ wanting to annoy, upset, or hurt another person, especially in a small way, because you feel angry toward them: a spiteful child. That was a spiteful thing to say! SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.
What are the characteristics of a spiteful person?
Researchers found the personality traits that were associated with spitefulness included: “aggression, psychopathy, Machiavellian-ism, narcissism, and guilt-free shame,” while the personality traits that were associated with opposite of spitefulness included: “self-esteem, guilt-proneness, agreeableness, and …
What does’cut off your nose to spite your face’mean?
What’s the meaning of the phrase ‘Cut off your nose to spite your face’? To ‘cut off your nose to spite your face’ is to disadvantage yourself in order to do harm to an adversary. For example, a restauranteur might refuse to serve bankers because he disapproves of money-lending.
Why did Tom cut off his nose?
He fired Tom for criticizing his managerial skills, but Tom accounts for nearly 75% of his branch’s quarterly sales, so all he’s really done is cut off his nose to spite his face. I know you’re mad at your parents, but running away is only going to make your own life harder.
What does to spite your face mean?
: to do something that is meant to harm someone else but that also harms the person who does it You can refuse to talk to her if you like, but you’re just cutting off your nose to spite your face.
What is the origin of the expression cut off someone’s nose?
Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker notes that the phrase may have originated from this practice, as at this time “cutting off someone’s nose was the prototypical act of spite.” The expression has since become a blanket term for (often unwise) self-destructive actions motivated purely by anger or desire for revenge.