1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

meanies

noun

plural of meanie
as in villains
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 meanies I'mPhaedra Trethan, applauding this Missouri TV anchor for mocking the meanies who tried to mock her. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 11 Dec. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meanies
  1. villains
  2. brutes
  3. monsters
  4. devils
  5. savages
  6. criminals
Noun
  • Different characters — villains and helpers — pop up along his journey, as well as different tools and weapons.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But Zidar and Zwick are more interested in understanding them than in portraying them as heroes or villains.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of villains
Noun
  • These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.
    — Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
  • In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-​skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-​skinned developing world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of brutes
Noun
  • Districts could be drawn that look like dinosaurs, steam locomotives or Frankenstein monsters.
    — Chris West, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2026
  • However, the biggest influences behind the storytelling came from classic Universal monsters and the Hammer Film Productions horrors.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of monsters
Noun
  • Researchers have also documented the phenomenon in dogs, Tasmanian devils, and some kinds of clams and other shellfish.
    — Adam Cohen, Oklahoman, 18 Aug. 2026
  • In 2025, two Tasmanian devils arrived at the Australian Outback exhibit.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
Definition of devils
Noun
  • And potentially discover treasure that will keep the savages at home from tearing the place down.
    — Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Or a group of shipwrecked boys turning into savages and killing one another?
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Definition of savages
Noun
  • Now federal investigators say criminals turned that everyday habit into a way to steal bank logins and drain accounts.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Trump, his family and his wealthy cronies are criminals spending taxpayers’ money and taking it with their underhanded deals with our enemies.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminals

Browse Nearby Words

meanie
meanies
meaning
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Meanies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meanies. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All