mean-spirited
mean-spirited — adjective
1. A person who is mean-spirited deliberately says or does unkind things in order t
A person who is mean-spirited deliberately says or does unkind things in order to make others feel bad, especially about small or unimportant matters.
The landlord made a mean-spirited comment about Lin's cooking in front of the guests.
collocation: mean-spirited comment
Hannah felt deeply hurt by the mean-spirited gossip that spread around the office.
collocation: mean-spirited gossip
The restaurant review struck Soraya as mean-spirited and unfair.
New students were often targeted by mean-spirited jokes from older classmates.
It was a mean-spirited thing to say, and everyone in the room fell silent.
- spiteful
Stronger; suggests active desire to hurt or offend
- petty
Focuses on the trivial or small-minded nature of the unkindness
- small-minded
Emphasises narrowness of attitude rather than active cruelty
- uncharitable
Softer tone; often about judging others too harshly
- generous
Willing to give others the benefit of the doubt
- kind-hearted
Naturally inclined to treat others well
- magnanimous
Formal; describes someone who forgives rather than holding a grudge
文法句型
mean-spirited + noun (attributive)
be + mean-spirited (predicative)
用法筆記
Often describes remarks, jokes, or actions that are unkind in a petty way rather than openly aggressive. The focus is on small-mindedness just as much as cruelty. Can be used attributively (a mean-spirited joke) or predicatively (that was mean-spirited of him).