as in cruel
feeling or showing a desire to cause harm or pain
a mean-spirited person He wrote a mean-spirited book review.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mean-spirited
While most are supportive, a fair number are critical, even mean-spirited.
—
Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mean-spirited
Adjective
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But this is the cruel and unreasonable state of this Administration's deportation policy.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
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Such evidence could support the view that incessant loud noise amounts to torture or cruel treatment towards cetaceans, in turn galvanizing support for a new right to be free from such harm.—
David Gruber,
Time,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This was a vicious weaponization of your government.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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Employees losing jobs because companies will lay off workers to off-set the expense of tariffs will also mean fewer customers buying goods and services, creating a vicious cycle that depresses both corporate revenues and economic growth.—
Solange Charas,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The antisemitic charge is a slur in its own right, tainting a broad range of institutions with a single hateful brush.—
Jonathan Zimmerman,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2025
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Prater, a graduate student in her first season with the Bulldogs, appeared to disable her comment section on some of her Instagram posts after facing an influx of hateful messages following the devastating injury Watkins suffered in the first half of their second round game.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Mingyang took the center of the Octagon from the beginning, landed hard leg kicks, and opened a nasty gash on Smith’s forehead with a step-in elbow.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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That is exactly what the Giants need: nastier players on both sides of the ball.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Your friend thought about, wrote and got caught writing something unkind about you.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
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Groom ‘Upset’ That Bride Excluded His Mom and Sister from Her Wedding Dress Shopping Appointment Not long after, the bride and her fiancé stopped by M's house, and M made an unkind comment about the bride having gained weight.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Pro athletes are generally expected to deal with difficult pressure, including contentious opponents and obnoxious fans.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
18 Apr. 2025
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Fortunately, because those obnoxious rings of hyperpigmentation have been irking our nerves for centuries, experts have had plenty of time to figure out effective treatment options.—
Essence Gant,
Allure,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Several diss tracks followed, with the musicians hurling increasingly spiteful insults at each other relating to accusations of domestic abuse, exploitation and pedophilia.—
Winston Cho,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Mar. 2025
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The more spiteful Drake could smell a world of buff, misogynistic grifters taking hold and made sure to set up shop where the audience would be.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Yet the Administration persisted with its disobedient, if not contemptuous, behavior.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
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According to an ancient Greek myth, all those who had fallen in love with the young man Narcissus were met with contemptuous rejection.—
Abigayle Ward,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mean-spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mean-spirited. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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