MEANNESS Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

meanness

noun

Definition of meanness

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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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 meanness 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, 1 Oct. 2026 The Very Online meanness, and attendant allegations of sexism and élitism, carries echoes of the rift between the Clintonites and the Bernie Bros; El-Sayed has talked openly of using a victory to shape the 2028 Presidential field. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Sometimes the irony turns bitter and, with a typically Eastern European sensibility, highlights the paradoxes of institutions, as well as the madness and meanness born from the pursuit and preservation of power. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 June 2026 After 1965, when African Americans’ right to vote was constitutionally recognized, the meanness continued. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 May 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for meanness

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

Christopher Stefanou of Long Island is charged with animal cruelty and breaking rules about shark fishing, Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois said Wednesday.

— Neal Riley, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Florida House Bill 559 recently created new guidelines to address animal cruelty across the state, including by allowing municipalities to increase fines and penalties.

— Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruelty

Noun

After weighing a few options, the team settled on scorpion antivenom, a costly treatment that can be difficult to produce, often involving injecting venom into horses.

— Robert Hart, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026
Existing antivenoms are generally produced by immunizing animals, including horses, with venom and extracting antibodies from their blood.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of venom

Noun

The rioters waved the Confederate flag, a clear symbol of racist hatred.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
At least one person was killed and four people were injured in a shooting near Paris that may have been motivated by Islamophobic hatred, French officials say.

— Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of hatred

Browse Nearby Words

meanly

meanness

means

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Style

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

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Synonyms of meanness

noun

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