as in cynic
a person who spoils the pleasure of others
accused the mayor of being a grinch after he cancelled the city's annual holiday parade for budgetary reasons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grinch
The nonprofit donated almost $200,000 to the church for the materials a grinch stole.
—
Dawn White, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
To play off the flavor of the candy, the grinch-green dough has a subtle cinnamon flavor of its own.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2025
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
The Pompano Beach, Fla. doesn’t play grinch alone; Veeze, Lil Yachty, Rob49, Juvenile, and B.G. also appear on the project.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 27 Dec. 2024
American President Donald Trump doesn’t want to be the grinch that stole Christmas.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Dawn White, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
To play off the flavor of the candy, the grinch-green dough has a subtle cinnamon flavor of its own.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2025
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
The Pompano Beach, Fla. doesn’t play grinch alone; Veeze, Lil Yachty, Rob49, Juvenile, and B.G. also appear on the project.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 27 Dec. 2024
American President Donald Trump doesn’t want to be the grinch that stole Christmas.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinch
Noun
-
And, though a lot of cynics will try to convince you otherwise, that’s perfectly OK.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
Of course, cynics would say this is an easy way to get laughs, but Galifianakis’ quick wit ensures the unfiltered youngsters don’t always take center stage.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Dining at Shuffletown Grill The restaurant opened as an ode to the Shuffletown Dragway, a nearby drag-racing strip that got its start in the 1950s and closed in the 1990s.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
-
Santos also made international headlines after old images of him in drag emerged.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
In the end, at the risk of sounding like a killjoy, a real way to save the planet and save money is to just buy and produce less.—
Kara McGrath,
Allure,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Which poem, and why did the killjoys at the magazine turn it down?—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The episode filmed in 2025 saw Hansen collapse on his Bering Sea crab fishing vessel; he was then rushed to the hospital, where doctors encouraged the ship captain to reconsider retirement.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
-
The Dungeness crab claw cocktail has all the tactile joy of a seafood boil.—
Colin Wrenn,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Granted, this might simply be an old-fashioned spoilsport way to view the market.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2026
-
No one likes a spoilsport, apparently.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
However, the Lakers are complainers to begin with and have always gotten a favorable whistle.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
The pervasive popularity of the show and its creator will be the reason the complainers have no voice.—
Rich Heldenfels,
Boston Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
They were worn down mile by mile, cold by cold, delay by delay until the army that existed at the end bore no resemblance to the one that had set out.—
Darshak Sanghavi,
STAT,
3 June 2026
-
But Lerner & Loewe bore twin messages with this show, one being about the power of sacrifice and the other being a pure testament to true love.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
But none of the Premier League’s refs or growing cohort of specialist VARs revel in the role of party pooper.—
Graham Scott,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
But in their quest to make history, the guests turned into party poopers.—
The San Diego Union Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinch. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
