mean-spiritedness

noun

as in animosity

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mean-spiritedness Every day this White House offers up a fresh batch of lawlessness and recklessness and mean-spiritedness and just plain craziness. — Halle Troadec, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025 There’s a weird mean-spiritedness amongst young male losers that is harming them. — Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025 There was a mean-spiritedness that the white COs up in the mountains had for us that the Black and brown ones who guarded us in Sing Sing did not. — John J. Lennon september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mean-spiritedness
  1. animosity
  2. meanness
  3. antagonism
  4. hostility
  5. malice
  6. spite
  7. rancor
  8. enmity
Noun
  • Instead, delays fueled animosity between the county and Peebles Corp.
    — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged lawmakers to continue to engage openly with the public despite worsening animosity within the community.
    — Rod McGuirk, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of animosity
Noun
  • Don’t give in to that meanness, and that false belief in scarcity.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Amid so much belabored meanness, meager appeals to conscience scan more like self-conscious obligation, easily subsumed by impotence.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of meanness
Noun
  • There’s no need to pay committed Republicans, while committed Democrats will see the offer as a bald monetization of politics that can deepen their antagonism.
    — Kenneth Greene, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026
  • These are the reasons for antagonism to Mayor Levy, not hyper-partisanship.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of antagonism
Noun
  • Hatred toward minorities is not new in America, but the recent surge in hostility aimed at Indian Americans is staggering.
    — Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Riyadh said the discussions were aimed at keeping diplomatic channels open and preventing another escalation in hostilities.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of hostility
Noun
  • The Court finds Defendant could not have responded to these instances of 'actual malice' in the First Amended Complaint, as they were not framed as such.
    — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In October, a Newton County grand jury indicted 43-year-old Taiesha Wilson on charges of malice murder, murder, concealing the death of another, identity theft, and more.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of malice
Noun
  • In spite—or because—of that emphasis on the purely physical, Capra thrived.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • How much of your inspiration and motivation actually comes from spite?
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of spite
Noun
  • Cue the longstanding rancor … Motorists and cyclists seem to be natural enemies.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But the themes that motivate the party faithful may not sit well with independents, who tend to recoil against partisan rancor.
    — Julio Borquez, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of rancor
Noun
  • The enmity between the sides grew after the Irish players wore black armbands and bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem before the first match.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The months-long battle was bitter and hard fought and enmity within the industry has yet to subside.
    — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of enmity

Browse Nearby Words

mean-spirited
mean-spiritedness
meant
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Cite this Entry

“Mean-spiritedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mean-spiritedness. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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