Agency Dictionary

Spoiler

nounPronunciation: /ˈspɔɪ.lər/

In Portuguese: Spoiler

What does “Spoiler” mean?

Information about the plot, climax, or ending of a narrative that impairs suspense for first-time audiences.

Etymology

Formed in English from the verb spoil and the agent suffix -er. Spoil comes from Middle English spoilen, borrowed from Old French espoillier, from Latin spoliare, "to strip, to plunder". A spoiler was at first a person who robs or ruins, and the word was later given to devices that disturb the flow of air over a wing or a car. The sense of a revelation that ruins the surprise of a story is the most recent.

Usage note

Common in the set phrases spoiler alert and no spoilers. The word also names an aerodynamic part of cars and aircraft, so context decides the sense.

Synonyms

giveaway
reveal

Often confused with

teaser: A teaser hints at a story to raise curiosity without giving it away; a spoiler reveals what the audience was meant to discover.

Word family

spoil
spoilage
spoilsport
spoils

Rhymes with

boiler
broiler
toiler

Concept

Magical RealismMagical realism is a literary style and narrative genre in which fantastical, dreamlike, or supernatural occurrences are presented in a straightforward, matter-of-fact…

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

Creative.6 - Suelen VianaJuly 10, 2023Read the edition

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