🇯🇵Japanese Source WordCode: JA

意地悪な

Pronunciation / Transliteration: ijiwaru na

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Mean-spirited/ˌmiːnˈspɪr.ɪ.tɪd/
adjectiveCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #14500 frequency
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🇯🇵 Example Sentence in Japanese:

"彼女の意地悪な態度はみんなを驚かせた。"

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As adjective
  1. 1

    Showing malice, spite, or a lack of generosity and kindness; petty and cruel.

    "Leaving a harsh note on the neighbor's door was a mean-spirited act."
  2. 2

    Narrow-minded or uncharitable in attitude or judgment.

    "The committee made a mean-spirited decision to cut funding for the community youth program."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Combining the adjective 'mean' (derived from Old English 'mǣne', meaning malicious or base) with 'spirited' (from spirit, originating from Latin 'spiritus'), this compound emerged in the 18th century. It evolved from describing a lack of noble character or courage to specifically characterize malicious, small-minded, or spiteful behavior toward others.

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