MEAN-SPIRITED Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

mean-spirited

adjective

Definition of mean-spirited

as in cruel

feeling or showing a desire to cause harm or pain a mean-spirited person He wrote a mean-spirited book review.

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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 mean-spirited While most are supportive, a fair number are critical, even mean-spirited. — Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mean-spirited

Adjective

But in one of the cruelest ironies in rock history, Berry suffered a devastating car crash not far from the actual Dead Man’s Curve in Los Angeles on April 12, 1966.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2026
In the face of climate change, such woo woo aphorisms seem ridiculous, naive, and cruel.

— Josh Fox, IndieWire, 17 July 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

Harbaugh had tense standoffs with legacy defenders Ed Reed, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs and, during the 2012 season, held a sitdown with his players to address their vicious and personal attacks on his approach.

— Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 22 July 2026
The film also shows Maddox and her father in a vicious argument inside her car that illustrates the fracturing of their once-close bond.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Look the steady coarsening of American civic and political culture and the ways in which the once-outrageous—the bilious, hateful rhetoric and the creeping authoritarianism—have become almost ordinary.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Although Fang was charged in a single incident, authorities allege the defendant was responsible for a string of hateful messages found across the Northern California campus.

— Seamus Bozeman, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of hateful

Adjective

In Michigan alone, more than 7,000 have fallen ill with the nasty foodborne disease, which causes severe diarrhea, and comes from exposure to a parasite in contaminated water used to wash or irrigate crops.

— Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Europe has been consumed by a nasty fire season this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

— Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 July 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

Lonnie is loud, obnoxious, and vulgar in ways that rankle traditional golfers.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
And, for all the theater of the hearing and Wyper’s expressions of sympathy with aldermen, the Stonepeak executive didn’t offer any meaningful concessions to make this obnoxious meter deal more palatable for Chicagoans.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026

Definition of obnoxious

Adjective

The man didn’t catch Serena’s contemptuous expression, however, too busy peeling bills from a money clip and pressing them into his date’s hand.

— Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
The fantasy of transforming a cold or contemptuous man through the sheer force of one’s love has caused real harm, and the critique of it is warranted.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026

Definition of contemptuous

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“Mean-spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mean-spirited. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of mean-spirited

adjective

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