Meaning & use
mean-spirited
Last updated
UK/ˌmiːn ˈspɪrɪtɪd/
US/ˌmiːn ˈspɪrɪtɪd/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.
Meaning
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Unkind and likely to hurt others on purpose.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a mean-spirited joke; the comment was mean-spirited.
Patterns
- be mean-spirited about something
It was a mean-spirited joke that hurt her feelings.
The article was mean-spirited and unfair to the players.
Don't be so mean-spirited; they did their best.
Word forms
| comparative | more mean-spirited |
|---|---|
| superlative | most mean-spirited |
Common combinations
- a mean-spirited comment
- She regretted her mean-spirited comment.
- mean-spirited attack
- The review was a mean-spirited attack.
- mean-spirited person
- He is not a mean-spirited person.
- cruel and mean-spirited
- The rumor was cruel and mean-spirited.
- mean-spirited remark
- A mean-spirited remark ruined the party.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spiteful
- Spiteful suggests a wish to hurt someone because of a grudge, while mean-spirited is broader.
- petty
- Petty suggests small and trivial, whereas mean-spirited focuses on unkindness.
- unkind
- Unkind is milder and more neutral.
- malicious
- Malicious is stronger, suggesting a real wish to cause harm.
Opposites
Word family
- mean-spiritedness noun
- the quality of being unkind
- mean-spiritedly adverb
- in an unkind way
- spirit noun
- a person's attitude or character
Commonly confused: mean-spirited or mean-minded?
mean-spirited vs mean-minded
Mean-minded is similar but less common; stingy and mean with money is a different sense of mean.
Practice
Which sentence uses mean-spirited correctly?
Choose one answer.
Mean-spirited describes unkind behavior. Soup, a garden and a train cannot be unkind.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mean-spirited”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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