variants
also meany
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
the class thought the substitute teacher was a big meanie when she assigned homework over the holidays
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of meanie
I'mPhaedra Trethan, applauding this Missouri TV anchor for mocking the meanies who tried to mock her.
—
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
This causes Gemma and other fellow patients/victims to verbally grapple quite literally with themselves, their assertive/meanie half pitted against their milder/empathetic side.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 5 Nov. 2025
The meanie store manager (played, with cartoony hard-ass villainy, by Peter Dinklage) refuses to make a donation, so Manchester gathers a bagful of (stolen) toys and brings them over to the church himself.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
The Drymonema larsoni, commonly known as pink meanies, were first observed in the Gulf Coast in 2000.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025
Once cooler weather pushes in, experts predict that both the moon jellies and pink meanies are likely to disappear from Texas beaches.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Hall, Nash, and Hogan—now wearing black and cultivating vicious dark stubble around his platinum mustache—were stylish meanies.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 6 July 2025
Years after the Jurassic Park disaster, the new Jurassic World has risen from its ashes with offerings that include a selection of classic dinosaurs and the new Indominus rex, a big meanie made from the genetic elements of other dinosaurs.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 1 July 2025
The film really is a David vs. Goliath story about a team of underdogs who band together to take down the big meanie.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 19 June 2025
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
This causes Gemma and other fellow patients/victims to verbally grapple quite literally with themselves, their assertive/meanie half pitted against their milder/empathetic side.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 5 Nov. 2025
The meanie store manager (played, with cartoony hard-ass villainy, by Peter Dinklage) refuses to make a donation, so Manchester gathers a bagful of (stolen) toys and brings them over to the church himself.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
The Drymonema larsoni, commonly known as pink meanies, were first observed in the Gulf Coast in 2000.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025
Once cooler weather pushes in, experts predict that both the moon jellies and pink meanies are likely to disappear from Texas beaches.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Hall, Nash, and Hogan—now wearing black and cultivating vicious dark stubble around his platinum mustache—were stylish meanies.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 6 July 2025
Years after the Jurassic Park disaster, the new Jurassic World has risen from its ashes with offerings that include a selection of classic dinosaurs and the new Indominus rex, a big meanie made from the genetic elements of other dinosaurs.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 1 July 2025
The film really is a David vs. Goliath story about a team of underdogs who band together to take down the big meanie.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 19 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meanie
Noun
-
Picking winners and losers, heroes and villains, pathways to success and failure, generates excitement for an event and manufactures a sense of urgency for maximal viewing pleasure.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
-
What the late Ka did to build resolve against the unforgiving brutalities of Brownsville, Marci combines with the flair of a Bond villain and contempt for anyone attempting to copy his mold.—
Dylan Green,
Pitchfork,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For much of his career, Skarsgård has gravitated toward characters who weaponize physical presence — Vikings, tech titans and mythic brutes whose power is immediately legible.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
-
As usual, Lang plays the brute’s Heart of Darkness–esque descent into madness with gleeful relish.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
But beneath his plush exterior and upbeat messaging, Buddy is an insatiably needy, controlling narcissist requiring constant affirmations of the children’s love and filling their heads with terror of the monsters lurking in the outside world beyond the park in which the show takes place.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Jack Black and Paul Rudd’s monster action comedy Anaconda is reportedly coming to digital streaming this week.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His characters make cavalier deals with the proverbial devil, even as the costs become harder to ignore.—
Virgie Tovar,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
There are sounds and shadows in the forest; the Devil, or devils, may be walking the earth.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Meanie.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meanie. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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