(形容词)刻薄的;心胸狭窄的;带恶意的。常用于形容一个人说话/做事出于恶意、缺乏善意与同理心。(也可写作 mean spirited,但更常见为连字符形式 mean-spirited。)
/ˌmiːn ˈspɪrɪtɪd/
His mean-spirited comment hurt her feelings.
他那句刻薄的评论伤害了她的感情。
The report didn’t just criticize the policy; it took a mean-spirited tone that seemed designed to embarrass people rather than solve problems.
这份报告不只是批评政策;它的语气还很刻薄,似乎意在让人难堪,而不是解决问题。
由 mean(“卑鄙的、刻薄的;吝啬的”等含义之一)与 spirited(“有……精神/气质的”)组合而成,字面可理解为“带着刻薄的心性/精神”。这里的 spirit 指人的“心性、态度、内在气质”,因此 mean-spirited 强调一种持续的、带恶意的态度,而不只是偶然说了一句不好听的话。