Mean vs. Spiteful: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
"Mean" generally refers to being unkind or harsh, while "spiteful" implies a specific intent to harm or hurt someone emotionally or physically.
Key Differences
"Mean" describes behavior that is unkind, harsh, or lacking in sympathy, like a mean comment. "Spiteful," however, suggests a deliberate intention to hurt or harm, such as a spiteful act of revenge.
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Dec 12, 2023
The term "mean" can refer to general unpleasantness or rudeness in behavior. In contrast, "spiteful" is more specific, indicating actions driven by malice or the desire to cause pain.
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Dec 12, 2023
"Mean" may not always imply an intention to cause harm, but rather can stem from thoughtlessness or insensitivity. "Spiteful," on the other hand, always involves deliberate intent to inflict suffering or distress.
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Dec 12, 2023
A person can be mean through actions, words, or attitudes that are hurtful or ungenerous. "Spiteful" actions, however, are characterized by a deeper level of vindictiveness or ill will.
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Dec 12, 2023
"Mean" behavior might include general rudeness or stinginess, while "spiteful" behavior is always targeted and purposeful, aimed at causing harm or offense.
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Dec 12, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Intention
Can be unintentional or thoughtless.
Always intentional and deliberate.
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Motivation
May arise from insensitivity or rudeness.
Driven by malice or desire to harm.
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Target
General unpleasantness, not necessarily targeted.
Specifically targeted to cause harm.
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Nature of Actions
Can include rudeness or unkindness.
Involves vindictiveness or ill will.
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Associated Emotions
Can stem from anger, frustration, or indifference.
Rooted in spite, resentment, or hatred.
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Mean and Spiteful Definitions
Mean
Inferior in quality or substandard.
The apartment's conditions were mean.
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Spiteful
Acting with ill will or malice.
His actions were spiteful and hurtful.
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Mean
To be used to convey; denote
"'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things'" (Lewis Carroll).
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Spiteful
Motivated by a desire to upset or offend.
The spiteful prank was intended to embarrass him.
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Mean
To act as a symbol of; signify or represent
In this poem, the budding flower means youth.
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Spiteful
Characterized by pettiness and malice.
Her spiteful behavior caused unnecessary conflict.
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Mean
To intend to convey or indicate
"No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous" (Henry Adams).
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Spiteful
Showing an intention to harm.
She made a spiteful remark about his work.
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Mean
To have as a purpose or an intention; intend
I meant to go running this morning, but I overslept.
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Spiteful
Deliberately hurtful or provoking.
The spiteful gossip damaged her reputation.
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Mean
To design, intend, or destine for a certain purpose or end
A building that was meant for storage.
A student who was meant to be a scientist.
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Mean
To have the importance or value of
The opinions of the critics meant nothing to him. She meant so much to me.
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Spiteful
Filled with, or showing, spite; having a desire to vex, annoy, or injure; malignant; malicious; as, a spiteful person or act.
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Mean
To have intentions of a specified kind; be disposed
They mean well but lack tact.
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Spiteful
Showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite;
A despiteful fiend
A truly spiteful child
A vindictive man will look for occasions for resentment
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Mean
Lacking in kindness; unkind
The teacher was not being mean in asking you to be quiet.
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Mean
Cruel, spiteful, or malicious
A mean boy who liked to make fun of others.
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Mean
Something having a position, quality, or condition midway between extremes; a medium.
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Mean
A number that typifies a set of numbers, such as a geometric mean or an arithmetic mean.
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Mean
Means (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A method, a course of action, or an instrument by which an act can be accomplished or an end achieved.
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Mean
(transitive) To intend, to plan (to do); to have as one's intention.
I didn't mean to knock your tooth out.
I mean to go to Baddeck this summer.
I meant to take the car in for a smog check, but it slipped my mind.
The authors meant a challenge to the status quo.
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Mean
(intransitive) To have as intentions of a given kind.
Don't be angry; she meant well.
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Mean
To intend (something) for a given purpose or fate; to predestine.
Actually this desk was meant for the subeditor.
Man was not meant to question such things.
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Mean
(transitive) To intend an ensuing comment or statement as an explanation.[https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/i_mean%20I%20mean]
Your reasoning seems needlessly abstruse, complex, and verbose for me. I mean, could you dumb it down for my sake?
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Mean
(transitive) To convey (a given sense); to signify, or indicate (an object or idea).
The sky is red this morning—does that mean we're in for a storm?
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Mean
(transitive) Of a word, symbol etc: to have reference to, to signify.
What does this hieroglyph mean?
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Mean
(transitive) Of a person (or animal etc): to intend to express, to imply, to hint at, to allude.
I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean.
He is a little different, if you know what I mean.
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Mean
(transitive) To have conviction in (something said or expressed); to be sincere in (what one says).
Does she really mean what she said to him last night?
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
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Mean
(transitive) To cause or produce (a given result); to bring about (a given result).
One faltering step means certain death.
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Mean
(usually with to) To be of some level of importance.
That little dog meant everything to me.
Formality and titles mean nothing in their circle.
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Mean
Of a common or low origin, grade, or quality; common; humble.
A man of mean parentage
A mean abode
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Mean
Low in quality or degree; inferior; poor; shabby.
A mean appearance
A mean dress
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Mean
Without dignity of mind; destitute of honour; low-minded; spiritless; base.
A mean motive
It was mean of you to steal that little girl's piggy bank.
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Mean
Of little value or worth; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable.
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Mean
Ungenerous; stingy; tight-fisted.
He's so mean. I've never seen him spend so much as five pounds on presents for his children.
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Mean
Intending to cause harm, successfully or otherwise; bearing ill will towards another.
Watch out for her, she's mean. I said good morning to her, and she punched me in the nose.
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Mean
Powerful; fierce; strong.
It must have been a mean typhoon that levelled this town.
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Mean
(colloquial) Accomplished with great skill; deft; hard to compete with.
Your mother can roll a mean cigarette.
He hits a mean backhand.
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Mean
Having the mean (see noun below) as its value; average.
The mean family has 2.4 children.
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Mean
Something which is intermediate or in the middle; an intermediate value or range of values; a medium.
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Mean
The middle part of three-part polyphonic music; now specifically, the alto part in polyphonic music; an alto instrument.
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Mean
(statistics) The average of a set of values, calculated by summing them together and dividing by the number of terms; the arithmetic mean.
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Mean
(mathematics) Any function of multiple variables that satisfies certain properties and yields a number representative of its arguments; or, the number so yielded; a measure of central tendency.
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Mean
(mathematics) Either of the two numbers in the middle of a conventionally presented proportion, as 2 and 3 in 1:2=3:6.
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Mean
To have in the mind, as a purpose, intention, etc.; to intend; to purpose; to design; as, what do you mean to do?
What mean ye by this service ?
Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.
I am not a SpaniardTo say that it is yours and not to mean it.
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Mean
To signify; to indicate; to import; to denote.
What mean these seven ewe lambs ?
Go ye, and learn what that meaneth.
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Mean
Destitute of distinction or eminence; common; low; vulgar; humble.
The mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself.
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Mean
Wanting dignity of mind; low-minded; base; destitute of honor; spiritless; as, a mean motive.
Can you imagine I so mean could prove,To save my life by changing of my love ?
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Mean
Of little value or account; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable.
The Roman legions and great Cæsar foundOur fathers no mean foes.
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Mean
Occupying a middle position; middle; being about midway between extremes.
Being of middle age and a mean stature.
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Mean
Intermediate in excellence of any kind.
According to the fittest style of lofty, mean, or lowly.
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Mean
Average; having an intermediate value between two extremes, or between the several successive values of a variable quantity during one cycle of variation; as, mean distance; mean motion; mean solar day.
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Mean
That which is mean, or intermediate, between two extremes of place, time, or number; the middle point or place; middle rate or degree; mediocrity; medium; absence of extremes or excess; moderation; measure.
But to speak in a mean, the virtue of prosperity is temperance; the virtue of adversity is fortitude.
There is a mean in all things.
The extremes we have mentioned, between which the wellinstracted Christian holds the mean, are correlatives.
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Mean
A quantity having an intermediate value between several others, from which it is derived, and of which it expresses the resultant value; usually, unless otherwise specified, it is the simple average, formed by adding the quantities together and dividing by their number, which is called an arithmetical mean. A geometrical mean is the nth root of the product of the n quantities being averaged.
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Dec 05, 2023
Mean
That through which, or by the help of which, an end is attained; something tending to an object desired; intermediate agency or measure; necessary condition or coagent; instrument.
Their virtuous conversation was a mean to work the conversion of the heathen to Christ.
You may be able, by this mean, to review your own scientific acquirements.
Philosophical doubt is not an end, but a mean.
By this means he had them more at vantage.
What other means is left unto us.
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Dec 05, 2023
Mean
Resources; property, revenue, or the like, considered as the condition of easy livelihood, or an instrumentality at command for effecting any purpose; disposable force or substance.
Your means are very slender, and your waste is great.
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Mean
A part, whether alto or tenor, intermediate between the soprano and base; a middle part.
The mean is drowned with your unruly base.
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Mean
A mediator; a go-between.
He wooeth her by means and by brokage.
If by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead.
The wine on this side of the lake is by no means so good as that on the other.
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Mean
An average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n
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Mean
Mean or intend to express or convey;
You never understand what I mean!
What do his words intend?
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Mean
Have as a logical consequence;
The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers
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Mean
Denote or connote;
`maison' means `house' in French
An example sentence would show what this word means
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Mean
Have in mind as a purpose;
I mean no harm
I only meant to help you
She didn't think to harm me
We thought to return early that night
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Mean
Have a specified degree of importance;
My ex-husband means nothing to me
Happiness means everything
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Mean
Intend to refer to;
I'm thinking of good food when I talk about France
Yes, I meant you when I complained about people who gossip!
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Mean
Destine or designate for a certain purpose;
These flowers were meant for you
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Mean
Approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value;
The average income in New England is below that of the nation
Of average height for his age
The mean annual rainfall
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Mean
Having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality;
That liberal obedience without which your army would be a base rabble
Taking a mean advantage
Chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort
Something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in politics
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Mean
Marked by poverty befitting a beggar;
A beggarly existence in the slums
A mean hut
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Mean
Used of persons or behavior; characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity;
A mean person
He left a miserly tip
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Mean
Lacking generosity or willingness to give.
He was too mean to donate to charity.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
Can "mean" behavior be unintentional?
Yes, mean behavior can sometimes stem from thoughtlessness.
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Dec 12, 2023
Can "mean" refer to poor quality?
Yes, in some contexts, it can mean inferior or substandard.
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Is "mean" used in mathematics?
Yes, it refers to the average in a set of numbers.
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Dec 12, 2023
Is "spiteful" behavior always intentional?
Yes, spiteful actions are deliberately intended to harm.
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Dec 12, 2023
Does "spiteful" imply a specific target?
Yes, spiteful actions are typically targeted to harm someone.
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Dec 12, 2023
Can "spiteful" actions be motivated by jealousy?
Absolutely, jealousy can be a driving force behind spiteful behavior.
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Dec 12, 2023
Does "mean" have a financial connotation?
It can, particularly in the context of stinginess or lack of generosity.
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Dec 12, 2023
Does "mean" always indicate hostility?
Not necessarily; it can stem from indifference or lack of understanding.
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Dec 12, 2023
Can "spiteful" behavior be subtle?
Yes, spite can manifest in subtle or indirect ways.
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Dec 12, 2023
Can "mean" be used to describe an action?
Yes, it can describe actions, words, or attitudes.
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Dec 12, 2023
Is "spiteful" behavior a sign of deeper emotional issues?
It can be, as it often stems from resentment or deep-seated anger.
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Dec 12, 2023
Are "spiteful" actions always harmful?
Yes, they are intended to cause distress or harm.
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Dec 12, 2023
Can "mean" also mean average?
Yes, particularly in statistical or mathematical contexts.
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Dec 12, 2023
Does "mean" have the same intensity as "spiteful"?
"Mean" can be less intense, as "spiteful" implies a deeper malice.
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Dec 12, 2023
Is "spiteful" associated with petty behavior?
Yes, it can be associated with pettiness and small-mindedness.
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Dec 12, 2023
Can "spiteful" behavior be a response to hurt?
Often, it is a reactionary behavior to perceived wrongs or hurt.
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Dec 12, 2023
Is "mean" a term used in everyday language?
Yes, it's commonly used to describe unkindness or harshness.
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Dec 12, 2023
Does "spiteful" imply a long-term grudge?
It can, as spite often involves holding onto negative feelings.
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Dec 12, 2023
Is "mean" always negative?
In the context of behavior, yes, it is typically negative.
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Dec 12, 2023
Can "spiteful" actions be regretted later?
Yes, individuals may regret spiteful actions once emotions subside.
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Dec 12, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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