Etymology
Origin of meanness
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But Mr. Cornyn has no gift for meanness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
“I think the way you ask the question, with the anger and the meanness, is terrible. You go back and learn how to be a reporter. No more questions from you.”
From Salon • Nov. 18, 2025
Rourke later apologised to Siwa, and told the housemates he "didn't say it out of meanness".
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2025
In “Seinfeld,” the four leads stand trial for their meanness and are sentenced to a year in jail together because they were caught mocking another person.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2024
Their jobs and their family set them apart, but they were best known for their unrelenting meanness.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
