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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meanness
Noun
-
Prosecutors could not prove malice in the case.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026 -
Some commenters did acknowledge a minority viewpoint, suggesting the conflict may stem from differing perspectives rather than malice.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The American people must reject this cruelty and extremism.—
Ali Bauman,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Does their lack of kindness grant you permission to respond with equal insensitivity or even cruelty?—
Michael Isaacson,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
It’s theorized this is because the brown widow isn’t able to inject as much venom as its larger relative.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
31 Oct. 2025
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Their venom Is not considered dangerous to humans, although a bite would likely be painful and cause swelling similar to that of a wasp sting.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Some viewers will know Rapaport from his decadeslong acting career but also that one very irritating season of Justified; others will know him for his anti-Palestinian rants and hatred of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
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This is not to say that rape can be separated from the hatred of women, just that, in certain situations, the role of the victim can be violently reassigned.—
S. C. Cornell,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Meanness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meanness. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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