meanness

meanness — noun

1. the behaviour or attitude of a person who is reluctant to spend money or share w

1.nounB2
Definition

the behaviour or attitude of a person who is reluctant to spend money or share what they own, even when it would be fair or reasonable to do so

Example

Alessia's meanness with money became a problem when the group tried to split the restaurant bill.

meanness with [something] — typical prepositional pattern

The landlord's meanness showed when he refused to fix the broken heater in the middle of winter.

Common collocations
  • meanness with money
  • meanness of portions
  • meanness of spirit
Synonyms
  • stinginess

    more common in everyday speech; purely about money or resources

  • miserliness

    stronger and more disapproving; suggests an extreme, life-warping refusal to spend

  • tightness

    informal; common in British English (e.g. 'tight with money')

Antonyms
  • generosity

    willingness to give or share freely

  • liberality

    formal; a tendency to give large amounts without hesitation

Grammar Patterns

meanness + with + noun phrase

meanness + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Unlike 'stinginess', which always implies fault, 'meanness' in this sense can sometimes be used with mild sympathy to describe someone driven by anxiety about money or scarcity.

Common Mistakes

His meanness of money was obvious.
His meanness with money was obvious.
The correct preposition is 'with', not 'of', when specifying what someone is stingy about.

2. the quality of deliberately saying or doing things that hurt, embarrass, or upse

2.nounB2
Definition

the quality of deliberately saying or doing things that hurt, embarrass, or upset other people, often in petty or small-minded ways

Example

Jisoo was surprised by the meanness of some comments left on her photography post.

meanness of [things said] — pattern for remarks/comments

The children at the playground did not understand the meanness behind the older boy's teasing.

meanness behind [action] — describing motivation

Common collocations
  • meanness towards someone
  • meanness of remarks
  • meanness of spirit
Synonyms
  • cruelty

    stronger; suggests an active desire to cause pain or suffering, not just petty unkindness

  • spite

    more specific; refers to unkindness motivated by resentment or a desire to get back at someone

  • malice

    more formal and more intense; implies a deep, intentional wish to harm

Antonyms
  • kindness

    the quality of being generous, helpful, and caring about other people

  • compassion

    stronger than kindness; involves a deep awareness of and sympathy for others' suffering

Grammar Patterns

meanness + towards + noun phrase

meanness + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Frequently used with 'towards/to + person' to specify the target. The related adjective 'mean' (B1) is far more common in everyday speech; 'meanness' is preferred in more reflective or written styles.

Common Mistakes

She showed meanness to me.
She was mean to me.
The adjective 'mean' is more natural than the noun 'meanness' when describing a one-time or personal situation.

Word family

  • mean
    adjectiveB1
  • meanly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words describe behaviour that causes others pain, but they differ in intensity and motivation. 'Meanness' (the target sense) is the mildest of the group — it suggests a small-minded, often petty unkindness that may be thoughtless rather than deliberately cruel. 'Cruelty' implies a greater degree of suffering and a more active desire to cause it. 'Spite' is more specific: it refers to unkindness driven by resentment or the wish to get even. 'Malice' is the most formal and intense, indicating a deep-seated, intentional wish to harm someone. 'Viciousness' suggests a savage, aggressive cruelty that often involves violence or harsh verbal attacks. For example: 'Her meanness towards the new colleague was unnecessary but probably not malicious — she was just in a bad mood.' Compare: 'He broke her phone out of sheer spite.'

cruelty ↗spite ↗maliceviciousness

Common collocations

Nouns

  • act of meanness
  • display of meanness
  • moment of meanness
  • spirit of meanness

Phrases

  • out of meanness
  • with meanness

Prepositions

  • meanness of
  • meanness towards
  • meanness with

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun 'meanness' was formed in the 1500s by adding the suffix '-ness' to the adjective 'mean', creating a word for the quality of being low, inferior, or common. The adjective itself traces back through Middle English 'mene' to Old English 'gemǣne', which meant 'shared by all' or 'common'. Over centuries the meaning took a downward turn: from 'common' to 'ordinary' to 'inferior' to 'stingy' — the idea being that a person of low status or means could not afford to be generous. The 'unkind' sense emerged in the 1600s, shifting from 'low character' to 'deliberately hurtful behaviour'.