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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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The restaurant from Yao and co-owners Ryan Bailey and Nikki Reginaldo began humbly, as did its beverage program.
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The post shows the actress going from humbly accepting the compliment to striking her best modeling poses as the wind blows through her hair.
Adverb
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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.
Adverb
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For much of the last two seasons, Washington’s defense has been out of sync, to put it politely.
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Almost nine years after their awkward handshake at the 2017 Bastille Day military parade, the two men politely shook hands and expressed their affinity for each other.
Adverb
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In Friday’s ruling, Liman wrote that Baldoni’s team had produced no evidence demonstrating Lively acted maliciously when making her allegations.
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Alleging that Dillon was maliciously prosecuted, the lawsuit demands financial damages and changes in how the police and sheriffs’ offices use facial recognition technology.
Adverb
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The boy stepped out of the chair, thanked the staff and said goodbye — only to sheepishly return for a hug with Hiniker.
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Rather than a nod of respect, Spurs fans—myself now sheepishly included—are finding their favorite tees and caps drawing chirps, sneers, and curses.
Adverb
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Customers complained, some bitterly, and AMD heard and granted their demands.
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Those fans erupted when Harry Kane scored on a penalty kick in the 12th minute, and groaned bitterly when Baturina scored the equalizer some 20 minutes later.
Adverb
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Precedent thus gave the judge reason to deferentially review settlement terms.
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Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.
Adverb
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Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.
Cite this Entry
“Meanly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meanly. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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