spoiled: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Neutral to informal in the 'overindulged' sense; neutral in the 'decayed/ruined' sense.
Quick answer
What does “spoiled” mean?
Having been allowed to have or do whatever one wants, leading to selfish, impatient, or badly behaved character.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Having been allowed to have or do whatever one wants, leading to selfish, impatient, or badly behaved character; or having been damaged in quality, freshness, or fitness for use.
Can refer to a person whose character has been negatively affected by overindulgence, or to food that has decayed, an opportunity that has been ruined, or a ballot paper that has been marked incorrectly and is therefore invalid.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
British English accepts both 'spoiled' and 'spoilt' as past participle and adjective. American English strongly prefers 'spoiled' for all uses.
Connotations
Identical in both varieties for the core meanings.
Frequency
'Spoiled' is more frequent overall, especially in American English. 'Spoilt' is less common but still standard in BrE, perhaps slightly more informal.
Grammar
How to Use “spoiled” in a Sentence
[Someone] spoiled [someone/something] (transitive)[Something] spoiled (intransitive/ergative)[Someone] is/was spoiled (passive/adjectival)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “spoiled” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The rain spoilt our picnic plans.
- She spoilt the ending of the film for me.
American English
- The rain spoiled our picnic plans.
- She spoiled the ending of the movie for me.
adjective
British English
- He's a terribly spoilt child.
- Throw away that spoilt yoghurt.
American English
- He's a terribly spoiled child.
- Throw away that spoiled yogurt.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in contexts like 'a spoiled batch of products' or 'the deal was spoiled by last-minute demands.'
Academic
Used in social sciences (e.g., 'a spoiled identity' - Goffman) and in literal senses in life sciences.
Everyday
Very common for describing badly behaved children and ruined food/events.
Technical
In voting: 'a spoiled ballot'; in food science: 'spoiled meat'.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “spoiled”
- Using 'spoiled' for physically broken objects (use 'broken' or 'damaged'). Confusing 'spoiled' (adj) with 'spoiled' (past tense verb) in sentence structure.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Spoiled' is the standard past tense and participle everywhere. 'Spoilt' is a common variant, primarily in British English, used as both past tense and adjective. In American English, always use 'spoiled'.
Yes, but mainly in the sense of ruining an abstract quality (e.g., 'spoiled the view', 'spoiled his chances'). For physical damage, words like 'broken', 'damaged', or 'torn' are often more precise.
Almost always. The idiom 'spoiled for choice' is a positive exception, meaning to have so many good options it's hard to choose.
The direct and correct translation is 'a spoiled child' (or 'spoilt child' in BrE). Other phrases include 'a pampered child' or, more informally, 'a spoiled brat'.
Having been allowed to have or do whatever one wants, leading to selfish, impatient, or badly behaved character.
Spoiled is usually neutral to informal in the 'overindulged' sense; neutral in the 'decayed/ruined' sense. in register.
Spoiled: in British English it is pronounced /spɔɪld/, and in American English it is pronounced /spɔɪld/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “spoiled for choice”
- “spoiled rotten”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of OIL going bad: SPOILed food is ruined. For a child, imagine someone pouring 'special oil' on them, making them slippery and hard to handle.
Conceptual Metaphor
GOOD IS FRESH / BAD IS ROTTEN (extended from food to character). OVERINDULGENCE IS A FORM OF DECAY.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'spoiled' LEAST likely to be used?