Mean
Mean adjective - Having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it.
Usage example: a mean, embittered old woman who wanted company for her misery
Spiteful is a synonym for mean in attitude topic. In some cases you can use "Spiteful" instead an adjective "Mean", when it comes to topics like nasty, unkind.
Spiteful
Spiteful adjective - Having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it.
Usage example: the gossip would utter the most vicious things with a spiteful smile
Mean is a synonym for spiteful in attitude topic. You can use "Mean" instead an adjective "Spiteful", if it concerns topics such as character trait, nasty, hurtful, malicious.
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- Juliet: Harper hates me... I get the feeling that she is a mean and spiteful person.
Source: Right in Front of Me -
Chuck and Serena keep doing mean and spiteful things to each other which they rarely apologise for, but they always seem to forgive and forget within a day or two.
Source: Literature / Gossip Girl - Kick the Dog: Every last one of Lizzy's scenes is there to establish that she's a mean, spiteful, self-centered old witch.
Source: Film / Waking Ned Devine
Cite this Source
Spiteful and Mean. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/spiteful
Mean & Spiteful. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/spiteful>.
Spiteful or Mean. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/spiteful.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "mean" and "spiteful" have occurred on timeline