meanspirited
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of meanspirited
Explanation
Anyone meanspirited is unkind, not particularly generous, or even deliberately rude. A meanspirited person might steal your place in line, or even kick you while you're down. It's meanspirited to crush someone's good mood with a nasty remark, and it's also meanspirited to eat your huge lunch (and refuse to share it) in front of a hungry classmate who's left his at home. Acting in an inconsiderate or careless way, particularly when you show a lack of generosity, will make you appear to be meanspirited.
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.
He made the comments pushing back on his critics in response to a question about working in a world that seems meanspirited.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2024
“This is a man!” the freaked-out Teamster shouts in “Dead Outlaw,” a mischievous but never meanspirited ghost story of a musical about McCurdy from the creators of “The Band’s Visit.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2024
District Judge James Boasberg acknowledged that the “defendants leveled harsh, meanspirited, and at times misleading attacks” against Vindman.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2022
But as tough as she is, Muneeba isn't meanspirited or undermining.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2022
I mean the practice of certain meanspirited wretches, who bear malice towards particular performers, and make parties to hiss them off the stage.
From The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor, Vol. I, No. 6, June 1810 by Carpenter, S. C. (Stephen Cullen)
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.
