as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
nothing more than unprovoked meanness drove him to smash the child's toy
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Recent Examples of meanness
The collective community is more important than the individual, and care trumps meanness.
—
Sarah Wang, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
Trump’s petulance, meanness, and willingness to punish a religious institution for its Church’s moral witness is a warning to every faith community in America.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
Would there be perpetual meanness and the absence of kindness toward each other as human beings?
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The result is a movie where the jokes are just mean, and the meanness isn’t funny, leading to a cynical denouement that’s been done many times before.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 16 Mar. 2026
Scott inflicts Ohm’s nonchalant meanness with a piercingly perverse matter-of-factness that places the character as far away as possible from the realm of likeability.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
There is still some of that here, but a lot of Martin’s light-touch meanness is drowned out by his insistence on describing his characters within the context of early COVID — pulling out those masks from the closet.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
There is still some of that here, but a lot of Martin’s light-touch meanness is drowned out by his insistence on describing his characters within the context of early COVID — pulling out those masks from the closet.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
It is hoped that political ad campaigns would aim to lessen the meanness and divisiveness and vulgarity that have damaged our democracy.
—Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Sarah Wang, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
Trump’s petulance, meanness, and willingness to punish a religious institution for its Church’s moral witness is a warning to every faith community in America.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
Would there be perpetual meanness and the absence of kindness toward each other as human beings?
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The result is a movie where the jokes are just mean, and the meanness isn’t funny, leading to a cynical denouement that’s been done many times before.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 16 Mar. 2026
Scott inflicts Ohm’s nonchalant meanness with a piercingly perverse matter-of-factness that places the character as far away as possible from the realm of likeability.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
There is still some of that here, but a lot of Martin’s light-touch meanness is drowned out by his insistence on describing his characters within the context of early COVID — pulling out those masks from the closet.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
There is still some of that here, but a lot of Martin’s light-touch meanness is drowned out by his insistence on describing his characters within the context of early COVID — pulling out those masks from the closet.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
It is hoped that political ad campaigns would aim to lessen the meanness and divisiveness and vulgarity that have damaged our democracy.
—Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meanness
Noun
-
The task is advanced by our malice toward one, and that one is Mary.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Most environments do not fail out of malice.—
Bill Schiffmiller,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
That’s one of the great cruelties of the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The movie, set in Spain in 1944, is both an intoxicating work of fantasy and a grim parable of political rebellion, and its insights into the cruelties and vulnerabilities of fascist power remain undimmed.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
When picturing a predator, most people envision an animal with immense speed, sharp teeth or deadly venom.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
-
Some people have an allergic reaction to the venom.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Many exiles, however, disagreed with that view and said the incident had only renewed their hatred for Castro.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
-
America remains the only large country in history where Jews have become fully equal citizens under a constitutional order strong enough, so far, to withstand waves of hatred and scapegoating.—
Michael W. Sonnenfeldt,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Meanness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meanness. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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