as in cruel
feeling or showing a desire to cause harm or pain
a mean-spirited person He wrote a mean-spirited book review.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of mean-spirited
While most are supportive, a fair number are critical, even mean-spirited.
—
Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mean-spirited
Adjective
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And having more thoughtful conversations doesn’t preclude the need sometimes to confront those who are needlessly cruel or organizations that benefit from such exploitation.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
18 Jan. 2025
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In recent months, the Justice Department and the state filed thousands of pages of new records in the lawsuit, including reports and sworn statements from pediatricians, scholars and others who describe Florida’s policies as archaic and cruel.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The roughest angle to imposter syndrome seems to be a potentially vicious cycle that can ensue.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
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Social media lit up with outrage directed toward Jubilee for giving voice to a vicious troll.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Garvey’s legacy has been complicated, especially due to his sometimes hateful and violent rhetoric against Jews, white people, Catholics, and other groups.—
Brady Knox,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
19 Jan. 2025
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The settlement, announced by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, requires Rutgers to take a series of actions to combat discrimination on campus after 400 reports of hateful incidents on campus were filed between July 2023 and June 2024.—
Fox News Staff,
Fox News,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The fight has been particularly nasty, with both sides trading harsh accusations against the other.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune Asia,
20 Jan. 2025
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First Lady Nancy Reagan was upset, thinking her husband was being too nasty.—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In a globalized, corporate, shifting world that can feel unkind to consumers, the fight for Mt. Bachelor is about the desire to capture something cherished and put it back in the hands of the people who love it most.—
John Branch,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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To use his own words against him is unkind, but with a million people relying on him, Dan Campbell crumpled under the pressure.—
Colton Pouncy,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The show’s graphic designer Tansy Michaud designed the cover, which, with its garish red-and-yellow cover and text about self-actualization, was meant to be a little graphically obnoxious.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
17 Jan. 2025
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But existing alarm watches are really loud and obnoxious.—
Victoria Gomelsky,
Robb Report,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Share [Findings] Unaffiliated voters are growing more spiteful toward both Democrats and Republicans.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harper's Magazine,
22 Jan. 2025
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Iannucci may spin stories of spiteful people, but Iannucci the person is different.—
John Baldoni,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Tamil Nadu’s leaders have long been openly contemptuous of Hindu nationalism, and their governing philosophy represents a powerful alternative to Modi’s worldview.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
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The Supreme Court could potentially blow up this trend The largest threat to the trend of fewer death sentences and executions is the Supreme Court’s Republican supermajority, which is often contemptuous of precedents handed down by earlier justices who Republican legal elites view as too liberal.—
Ian Millhiser,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
Thesaurus Entries Near mean-spirited
Cite this Entry
“Mean-spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mean-spirited. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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