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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Recent Examples of grinch
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).
—
David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).
—David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 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
Buy Now 08 of 26 'How My Neighbor Stole Christmas' by Meghan Quinn
A neighborhood grinch learns the true meaning of Christmas courtesy of his sunshiny neighbor in How My Neighbor Stole Christmas.
—Sabienna Bowman, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
But seriously, the Freedom Caucus and anti-establishment wing that ousted McCarthy over cutting that initial spending deal stands ready to be the grinch in this scenario.
—Leah Askarinam, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2023
Which brings us to this Christmas and a pernicious grinch named COVID who has teamed up with the Grim Reaper to batter us with waves of record-setting deaths, a resurgence of jobless claims and another lockdown here and in much of California.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2020
David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).
—David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 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
Buy Now 08 of 26 'How My Neighbor Stole Christmas' by Meghan Quinn
A neighborhood grinch learns the true meaning of Christmas courtesy of his sunshiny neighbor in How My Neighbor Stole Christmas.
—Sabienna Bowman, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
But seriously, the Freedom Caucus and anti-establishment wing that ousted McCarthy over cutting that initial spending deal stands ready to be the grinch in this scenario.
—Leah Askarinam, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2023
Which brings us to this Christmas and a pernicious grinch named COVID who has teamed up with the Grim Reaper to batter us with waves of record-setting deaths, a resurgence of jobless claims and another lockdown here and in much of California.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinch
Noun
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However, cynics have long predicted that AVs will flounder among the flocks of cyclists in European cities such as Amsterdam.—
Carlton Reid,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
-
Instead, cynics might argue, the exercise was about proving to the White House that Putin was not interested in the peace, or indeed the specific ceasefire proposal, that the Trump administration sought.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
Lavar’s mother competed in regional drag racing events.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
-
During his career, Black defended a number of high-profile clients, including pop star Justin Bieber, who faced allegations of drag racing and driving a car under the influence.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
The Civil War, which is jeopardizing his presidency, has turned him into an utter killjoy.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
-
Without being a complete spoiler-lobbing killjoy, this is a story heavily marinated in trauma, with an emphasis on two parties’ checkered past in particular.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Seafood: Tuna, sardines, shrimp, crab, and halibut are all good sources.—
Patricia Weiser,
Verywell Health,
23 July 2025
-
The bay serves as a crucial nursery for young sandbar sharks, which primarily eat fish and crabs.—
Irit Skulnik,
Baltimore Sun,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
Suddenly, the Republicans were the spoilsports who couldn’t take the joke, a position stereotypically held by politically correct liberals.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vox,
9 Aug. 2024
-
Millennial workers are increasingly becoming the office spoilsports, with young people increasingly likely to be in it for the money rather than for fun, as years of economic turmoil force them to keep their heads down, collect their monthly paychecks, and fight for a promotion.—
BYRyan Hogg,
Fortune Europe,
26 June 2024
Noun
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Speaking to the Daily Mail, former British military intelligence officer Colonel Philip Ingram warned that the campaign bore hallmarks of joint coordination.—
Deborah Danan,
Sun Sentinel,
16 July 2025
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But really, outside of their games against Barca and perhaps Atletico, La Liga is a bore.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
Noun
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In the co-main event, Zhang Mingyang proved to be the ultimate party pooper.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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Despite his literal change of heart, the Grinch continues to symbolize holiday party poopers everywhere.—
Mike Miller,
People.com,
19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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It’s stated routinely in my upcoming book The Deficit Delusion that the centralized and politicized allocation of goods, services and labor in sub-optimal fashion by politicians lays a wet blanket on economic growth.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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Just wait until tech investors are smothered by the ultimate wet blanket: the uncharted territory of Trump tariffs.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinch. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
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