as in cruel
feeling or showing a desire to cause harm or pain
a mean-spirited person He wrote a mean-spirited book review.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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
Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mean-spirited
Adjective
-
Because of the cruel math of throughput and utilization, over ten days, only three hundred people experienced Blur.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Tamra was awful to Gretchen back then, culminating in the Naked Wasted Party, which was one of the cruelest things to ever happen on Housewives.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Just as the Kremlin sought to quell dissent against its vicious campaign in the restive republic, so, too, has a deafening silence accompanied its Ukraine folly.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Set against a backdrop of vicious infighting between rival Scottish clans, the prequel began in wake of the sudden death of Ellen’s father, Red Jacob (Peter Mullan), who was the leader of Clan MacKenzie.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Jack Osbourne has zero tolerance for hateful comments towards his late father, Ozzy Osbourne.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
YouTube videos posted from an account linked to Westman show a cache of weapons with racist, homophobic, antisemitic and hateful language against Muslims and other minority groups.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Sean Gardner/Getty Images This comes just weeks after Zilisch suffered a nasty fall from his car in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen, which resulted in a broken collarbone.—
Lydia Mee,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Parents pushing, people cutting lines, nasty attitudes everywhere, especially outside and in Sephora.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
While many users found the mix-up hilarious, others piled on with unkind remarks about her size and appearance.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
The Dodger Stadium mound proved unkind to Darvish again Sunday in what ended up as a lost weekend for San Diego.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Be a Good Sport Even if—especially if—you’re rooting against your hosts’ team, don’t be obnoxious in your fandom.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
-
That the Kardashian family — sans Kendall — got to see the film early celebrates little beyond the fact that a Skims and Wicked collaboration might be forthcoming, but for longtime Wicked fans, this collaboration has proven one of the most obnoxious.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Played by a sniveling Casey Siemaszko, Billy is spineless and spiteful.—
Sezin Devi Koehler September 1,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
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,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The wit and wordplay never cease, and there’s much pleasure to be drawn from Colman and Cumberbatch spitting McNamara’s contemptuous dialogue with aplomb.—
Katie Walsh,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Some of the reviews and the coverage were so contemptuous.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mean-spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mean-spirited. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share