1
as in humbly
in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion
meanly silent up to that point, he now felt that fair criticism was turning into gratuitous insult
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in despitefully
in a mean or spiteful manner
in a meanly worded letter she told me that she never wanted to see me again
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of meanly
Fortunately, there is the compelling, if meanly portrayed, character of Michael Berman, John’s partner in the George enterprise.
—
Lisa Depaulo, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
Kardashian was in court to share new details from a horrific assault in the name of seeking justice; to comment meanly on her outfit would have been a weird move.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 19 May 2025
At Artnet, Walter assembled a motley crew of writers, including the unstoppable Charlie Finch, who would meanly attack everyone.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
Fearing the sentimental, my nature is to end things meanly.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
The third point in this tinderbox triangle of frenemyship is Elena, a girl in their class whom Jana side-eyes meanly for her reputation for being easy, who uploads twerking selfies to social media and who also buzzes around school jock Kris.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 1 Sep. 2021
Later visits from the Galileo mission confirmed this very active volcanism on Io, with surface lava temperatures of 1250-1450C, meanly likely ultramafic compositions (komaiites - very low silica content, below 45 weight % and rare on Earth).
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2011
Lisa Depaulo, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
Kardashian was in court to share new details from a horrific assault in the name of seeking justice; to comment meanly on her outfit would have been a weird move.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 19 May 2025
At Artnet, Walter assembled a motley crew of writers, including the unstoppable Charlie Finch, who would meanly attack everyone.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
Fearing the sentimental, my nature is to end things meanly.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
The third point in this tinderbox triangle of frenemyship is Elena, a girl in their class whom Jana side-eyes meanly for her reputation for being easy, who uploads twerking selfies to social media and who also buzzes around school jock Kris.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 1 Sep. 2021
Later visits from the Galileo mission confirmed this very active volcanism on Io, with surface lava temperatures of 1250-1450C, meanly likely ultramafic compositions (komaiites - very low silica content, below 45 weight % and rare on Earth).
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meanly
Adverb
-
Some films herald the scope of their ambitions from the opening frame, whereas others start humbly with a mastery that slowly comes to the fore.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
-
Intricate details of both spacecraft stages, down to some individual rivets, can be seen along the spacecraft hulls, while Earth hangs humbly in the background on the bottom half of the frame.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
18 May 2026
Adverb
-
In other words, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.—
Derek Robertson,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Three sitting rooms are complemented by a further three members’ social spaces for carousing in, concealed behind a subtle screen (here, DJs including Goldierocks make appearances, and mobile snaps are banned; staff politely place a sticker over mobile camera lenses).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
-
As the credits rolled, the audience clapped politely.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Adverb
-
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Kayumi then appeared to sheepishly shrink in his chair.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Joshua Booth, 51, was charged with one count of willfully or maliciously torture, maim or mutilate an animal kept for companionship or pleasure causing death, a category B felony under Nevada law, according to the Clark County District Attorney's Office.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Are there reliable technical solutions that could keep AI from being used maliciously?—
Ahmed Hamza,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
Adverb
-
Precedent thus gave the judge reason to deferentially review settlement terms.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
-
Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
On February 20, 1933, a bitterly cold winter day, President Hoover had laid the cornerstone of the new archives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
-
Players and owners fought bitterly about how many games should be played during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, settling on 60 games.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Adverb
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Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Meanly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meanly. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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