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
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
-
Naturally, the cynics will want to naysay.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
-
And, though a lot of cynics will try to convince you otherwise, that’s perfectly OK.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
Bodywork that seems sculpted by a wind tunnel and finished with a 1960s-style Kamm tail gives the car’s dominance over drag much of its visual character.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
17 June 2026
-
Their live performances in Sydney’s drag scene parodied hyper-masculinity and soon moved into artist-run spaces with installations and video works.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
16 June 2026
Noun
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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
-
My wallet, however, does not love the price of fresh crab.—
Sheela Prakash,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
19 June 2026
-
For the people at the table who are just along for the ride, there are sandwiches, steaks and pastas, which keeps the meal from turning into a negotiation over who likes crab.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
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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
-
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
-
However, the Lakers are complainers to begin with and have always gotten a favorable whistle.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Blanca Quinonez knows only one way to play, with full- bore, hit-the-floor intensity.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
19 June 2026
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If your surroundings have become a bore, switch them up as Venus and Uranus harmonize.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Noun
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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
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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 23 Jun. 2026.
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