meanly
meanly — adverb
1. acting with deliberate unkindness or spite toward others
acting with deliberate unkindness or spite toward others
Hana meanly told her younger brother that his drawing looked like a toddler's scribble.
pattern: meanly + reporting verb (told)
Dmitri's teammates spoke meanly about his mistake long after the match had ended.
collocation: spoke meanly about [something]
The older girls at the camp laughed meanly when Amara tripped on the rope bridge.
Fatima regretted sending the message the moment she read how meanly she had worded it.
The reviewer wrote meanly about the restaurant, calling the food 'barely edible slop.'
- unkindly
less forceful; implies lack of kindness rather than active spite
- nastily
more aggressive and deliberately unpleasant
- spitefully
stresses the intention to hurt or annoy
- cruelly
stronger; implies causing real emotional or physical pain
- generously
in the sense of showing goodwill, not money
用法筆記
Typically used with verbs of speech or behaviour (spoke meanly, acted meanly, laughed meanly).
常見錯誤
2. in a stingy or tight-fisted way, reluctant to spend money or share what one has
in a stingy or tight-fisted way, reluctant to spend money or share what one has
Thiago meanly refused to buy his children an ice cream on the year's hottest day.
collocation: meanly refused to [give/spend]
The landlord meanly turned off the heating in January to save a few pounds.
Keiko's uncle meanly kept the entire inheritance and shared nothing with the family.
At the charity event, Mr. Bello meanly gave a single coin while others donated generously.
Ingrid's boss meanly refused to replace the broken office chairs, telling staff to manage.
- stingily
informal; the most common everyday synonym
- miserly
more formal; suggests a habitual, deep-rooted reluctance to spend
- ungenerously
neutral; simply the opposite of generous
- tight-fistedly
colloquial and vivid; emphasises the closed hand
用法筆記
Used in contexts involving money, possessions, or sharing resources. The stinginess is the focus, not general unkindness.
常見錯誤
3. in a way that is of low quality, poorly done, or below an acceptable standard
in a way that is of low quality, poorly done, or below an acceptable standard
The shelves were meanly built from cheap pine and wobbled at the slightest touch.
collocation: meanly built
Kwame's first apartment was meanly furnished with a single mattress and a folding chair.
collocation: meanly furnished
The statue in the town square had been meanly carved, its face barely recognisable.
The hotel's 'luxury suite' was meanly appointed, with peeling wallpaper and a broken lamp.
The book was meanly printed on thin paper that tore at the lightest touch.
用法筆記
This sense is rarer and somewhat old-fashioned. It often describes how something was made, built, or furnished — not how a person behaves.