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
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
Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meanness
Noun
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The hypocrisy and malice are stunning.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Count 1, malice murder, guilty.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Christopher Lucas was arraigned in Quincy District Court, facing charges that include animal cruelty and hunting without a license.—
Penny Kmitt,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
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For too long, Wyoming has been an outlier in tolerating extreme cruelty toward its wild carnivores.—
Wendy Keefover,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Natural products inspired by organisms include GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss, spider and snake venoms, and compounds from plants and fungi with potential uses in pain relief and cancer treatment.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2026
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Toxins in many animal venoms, for example, are peptides.—
Dominique Mosbergen,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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All of Iran’s proxies share a deep ideological hatred of Israel and America.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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Loud and proud Jews will not allow hatred or fear to deter our Jewish way of life or our presence in the world.—
Beth Bailey,
FOXNews.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Meanness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meanness. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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