meanness

noun

Definition of meannessnext
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

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
  1. malice
  2. cruelty
  3. venom
  4. hatred
Noun
  • 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
  • Kingston Bradley of Smyrna, Georgia, was arrested and charged with concealing the death of another and malice murder in connection with Mosley’s death.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of malice
Noun
  • Luhansk, this terra incognita of the independent Ukraine, is described in almost carnivalesque terms, but this is a carnival infused with absurdity and even cruelty.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Artistaya Arriyawongsa directed and co-wrote the film, which uses the supernatural to probe online cruelty and the public shaming it fuels.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • There’s a real opportunity in the fourth episode to do something fun, or at least interesting, when Tyson convinces Russ to join him in smoking hallucinatory toad venom, but no flair or flourishes emerge.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Spiders, for instance, have muscles surrounding their venom glands, which contract and eject venom through hollow fangs.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of venom
Noun
  • Platforms for hatred These platforms don’t make hatred possible.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Renée shared a hatred of Nazis and had a keen desire to defeat the Axis powers.
    — Gaby Iori October 7, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of hatred

Browse Nearby Words

meanly
meanness
means
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Cite this Entry

“Meanness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meanness. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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