1
as in humbly
in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion
meanly silent up to that point, he now felt that fair criticism was turning into gratuitous insult
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in despitefully
in a mean or spiteful manner
in a meanly worded letter she told me that she never wanted to see me again
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of meanly
Fortunately, there is the compelling, if meanly portrayed, character of Michael Berman, John’s partner in the George enterprise.
—
Lisa Depaulo, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
Kardashian was in court to share new details from a horrific assault in the name of seeking justice; to comment meanly on her outfit would have been a weird move.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 19 May 2025
At Artnet, Walter assembled a motley crew of writers, including the unstoppable Charlie Finch, who would meanly attack everyone.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
Fearing the sentimental, my nature is to end things meanly.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
The third point in this tinderbox triangle of frenemyship is Elena, a girl in their class whom Jana side-eyes meanly for her reputation for being easy, who uploads twerking selfies to social media and who also buzzes around school jock Kris.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 1 Sep. 2021
Later visits from the Galileo mission confirmed this very active volcanism on Io, with surface lava temperatures of 1250-1450C, meanly likely ultramafic compositions (komaiites - very low silica content, below 45 weight % and rare on Earth).
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2011
Lisa Depaulo, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
Kardashian was in court to share new details from a horrific assault in the name of seeking justice; to comment meanly on her outfit would have been a weird move.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 19 May 2025
At Artnet, Walter assembled a motley crew of writers, including the unstoppable Charlie Finch, who would meanly attack everyone.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
Fearing the sentimental, my nature is to end things meanly.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
The third point in this tinderbox triangle of frenemyship is Elena, a girl in their class whom Jana side-eyes meanly for her reputation for being easy, who uploads twerking selfies to social media and who also buzzes around school jock Kris.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 1 Sep. 2021
Later visits from the Galileo mission confirmed this very active volcanism on Io, with surface lava temperatures of 1250-1450C, meanly likely ultramafic compositions (komaiites - very low silica content, below 45 weight % and rare on Earth).
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meanly
Adverb
-
Some films herald the scope of their ambitions from the opening frame, whereas others start humbly with a mastery that slowly comes to the fore.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
-
Intricate details of both spacecraft stages, down to some individual rivets, can be seen along the spacecraft hulls, while Earth hangs humbly in the background on the bottom half of the frame.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
18 May 2026
Adverb
-
In other words, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.—
Derek Robertson,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
If the person politely requests one, that’s OK.—
Attia Qureshi,
Time,
1 June 2026
-
Dred Scott was not politely corrected by the Court.—
Natashia Deon,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
Adverb
-
The 22-year-old sheepishly asked if Tarasenko could help him with his laundry.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Joshua Booth, 51, was charged with one count of willfully or maliciously torture, maim or mutilate an animal kept for companionship or pleasure causing death, a category B felony under Nevada law, according to the Clark County District Attorney's Office.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Are there reliable technical solutions that could keep AI from being used maliciously?—
Ahmed Hamza,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
Adverb
-
Precedent thus gave the judge reason to deferentially review settlement terms.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
-
Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
After Adele and her mother had fought, bitterly, about her decision to keep the baby, and then more bitterly about her refusal to find Jamie in Florida and demand child support, Bromley invited her to live with him while things cooled down at home.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
During the Nullification Crisis of 1831–1833, partisan journalists had a major role in framing the issue and were bitterly opposed to one another, especially in South Carolina.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
Adverb
-
Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Meanly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meanly. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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