mean-spirited

mean-spirited — 形容詞

1. A person who is mean-spirited deliberately says or does unkind things in order t

1.形容詞B2
釋義

刻薄；狹隘

故意說傷人話、做損人小事的心態

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.

例句

The landlord made a mean-spirited comment about Lin's cooking in front of the guests.

房東在客人面前對 Lin 做的菜發表了刻薄的評論。

collocation: mean-spirited comment

Hannah felt deeply hurt by the mean-spirited gossip that spread around the office.

Hannah 對辦公室裡流傳的刻薄八卦感到非常受傷。

collocation: mean-spirited gossip

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • 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).

常見錯誤

❌He was mean-spirited to give her a birthday gift.
✅He was mean-spirited to mock her accent in front of the whole class.
💡Mean-spirited describes deliberate, petty unkindness, not any negative action or judgment.