GRINCH Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

grinch

noun

ˈgrinch

Definition of grinch

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

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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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinch

Noun

But should cynics in the industry be tapping the brakes a little, to make sure everybody believes Dean is all that, before giving her an official coronation?

— Chris Willman, Variety, 17 July 2026
But weddings also bring out the cynics, and there are a lot of people who cannot be swayed by a wedding.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 July 2026

Definition of cynic

Noun

Nvidia provided the biggest boost to the Nasdaq-100, contributing 98 points, while Microsoft was the largest drag, subtracting 21 points.

— Yun Li, CNBC, 14 July 2026
The garages at drag events are full of red-eyed madmen who have sold their houses and chased their wives and children away in pursuit of this.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 July 2026

Definition of drag

Noun

Gunther trapped Cody in a half-crab after the final commercial break.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
In recent decades, the Mediterranean waters have warmed to temperatures that allow the blue crabs to reproduce more successfully — sometimes multiple times within a single breeding season.

— Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Definition of crab

Noun

The first thing Sweetpea does, after ditching her spoilsport colleague at the hotel, is pay a visit to SwiftGC, a payment processor recently acquired by Tender.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2026
Granted, this might simply be an old-fashioned spoilsport way to view the market.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026

Definition of spoilsport

Noun

Are they deluded into thinking that the complainers are just a squeaky wheel minority and the majority of fans are happy with it?

— Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 13 July 2026
Instead of pushing through pain and not speaking up for fear they'll be labeled weak or a complainer, this generation is more inclined to listen to their bodies, advocate for themselves, and address the issue through the proper resources.

— Sarah Scott, Parents, 10 June 2026

Definition of complainer

Noun

As rain drizzled and the humidity bore down, the president peered at blueprints for the public golf course, before driving to his own course in Virginia via the Arlington Memorial Bridge, near where his Triumphal Arch may soon be built.

— Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 July 2026
Breaking it down by item type, 80 percent of scarves 54 percent of tops, 25 percent of baby clothing, 13 percent of activewear and 14 percent of sleep wear bore inaccurate labels.

— Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 25 June 2026

Definition of bore

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“Grinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinch. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of grinch

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