Definition of "mean-spirited" []

• Having or characterized by a malicious or petty spirit. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The Nevada senator argued the Tea Party was driving what he described as "mean-spirited" proposed cuts to the federal budget, some version of which Congress must past by April 8 in order to avoid a government shutdown."
• "Prisoners who are placed in segregation as a form of punishment could also be denied visits from family and friends under the federal anti-crime bill, a measure the Canadian Bar Association calls "mean-spirited" and counterproductive."
• "The votes will show the need for both sides to narrow the $50 billion gap between President Obama's latest offer and Republican cuts that Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid called "mean-spirited.""