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spleen

noun
\ ˈsplēn How to pronounce spleen (audio) \

Definition of spleen

1 : a highly vascular ductless organ that is located in the left abdominal region near the stomach or intestine of most vertebrates and is concerned with final destruction of red blood cells, filtration and storage of blood, and production of lymphocytes
2 obsolete : the seat of emotions or passions
3 archaic : melancholy
4 : feelings of anger or ill will often suppressed
5 obsolete : a sudden impulse or whim : caprice
Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about spleen

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Synonyms & Antonyms for spleen

Synonyms

anger, angriness, birse [chiefly Scottish], choler, furor, fury, indignation, irateness, ire, lividity, lividness, mad, madness, mood [archaic], outrage, rage, wrath, wrathfulness

Antonyms

delight, pleasure

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Choose the Right Synonym for spleen

malice, malevolence, ill will, spite, malignity, spleen, grudge mean the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress. malice implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer. felt no malice toward their former enemies malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct. a look of dark malevolence ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration. ill will provoked by a careless remark spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments. petty insults inspired by spite malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness. a life consumed by motiveless malignity spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice. venting his spleen against politicians grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction. never one to harbor a grudge

Examples of spleen in a Sentence

vented her spleen and felt much better for having done so the bill's failure to pass in the legislature was due to nothing more than partisan spleen

Recent Examples on the Web

 Complications that threaten human life include swelling of the blood vessels in the brain, a build-up of fluid in the lungs, organ failure (of the kidneys, liver or spleen), anemia, and low blood sugar. — Fox News, "Bill Gates donates $4M to create mosquitoes that kill each other using sex," 22 June 2018 Trump’s very public spleen-venting more closely resembled that of Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln’s vice president and the reluctant and disastrous steward of Reconstruction after his death. — Charles Homans, New York Times, "The Post-Campaign Campaign of Donald Trump," 9 Apr. 2018 Veterinary surgeon Karl Maritato recently removed a cancerous spleen from a pygmy slow loris. — Anne Saker, Cincinnati.com, "Caturday news: Cincinnati Zoo tiger Chira has seizures, so she gets an MRI," 12 July 2019 My spleen was removed in October, but the pancreas was left intact when the surgeon found the tumor had wrapped itself around the aorta artery. — Joyce Rudolph, latimes.com, "Community: Longtime columnist goes through fight of her life," 3 June 2019 Then the motile dendritic cells circulate through the body and spread the prion via TNTs to the spleen and lymph nodes (which are immune system organs) and peripheral nerves. — Quanta Magazine, "Cells Talk and Help One Another via Tiny Tube Networks," 23 Apr. 2018 For instance, Jessica is stabbed and loses her spleen, which is supposed to be a big deal. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Review: Jessica Jones S3 is flawed but packs a powerful payoff in the end," 24 June 2019 Watching the condor parents regurgitate food — rats, trout, beef spleen — into the chick is gross. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Why the Safari Park’s California condor dads are Father’s Day stars," 14 June 2019 An enlarged spleen seems to function like a bigger scuba tank. — Carl Zimmer, New York Times, "Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spleen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of spleen

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for spleen

Middle English splen, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French espleen, from Latin splen, from Greek splēn; akin to Latin lien spleen, Sanskrit plīhan

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More Definitions for spleen

spleen

noun
How to pronounce spleen (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of spleen

: an organ located near your stomach that destroys worn-out red blood cells and produces white blood cells
literary : feelings of anger

See the full definition for spleen in the English Language Learners Dictionary

spleen

noun
\ ˈsplēn How to pronounce spleen (audio) \

Kids Definition of spleen

: an organ near the stomach that destroys worn-out red blood cells and produces some of the white blood cells

spleen

noun
\ ˈsplēn How to pronounce spleen (audio) \

Medical Definition of spleen

: a highly vascular ductless abdominal organ of vertebrates that resembles a gland in organization but is closely associated with the circulatory system, that plays a role in the final destruction of red blood cells, filtration and storage of blood, and production of lymphocytes, and that in humans is a dark purplish flattened oblong object of a soft fragile consistency lying near the cardiac end of the stomach and consisting largely of blood and lymphoid tissue enclosed in a fibroelastic capsule from which trabeculae ramify through the tissue of the organ which is divisible into a loose friable red pulp in intimate connection with the blood supply and with red blood cells free in its interstices and a denser white pulp chiefly of lymphoid tissue condensed in masses about the small arteries

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