as in cynic
a person who spoils the pleasure of others
accused the mayor of being a grinch after he cancelled the city's annual holiday parade for budgetary reasons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grinch
Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).
—
David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
The Pompano Beach, Fla. doesn’t play grinch alone; Veeze, Lil Yachty, Rob49, Juvenile, and B.G. also appear on the project.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Buy Now 08 of 26 'How My Neighbor Stole Christmas' by Meghan Quinn
A neighborhood grinch learns the true meaning of Christmas courtesy of his sunshiny neighbor in How My Neighbor Stole Christmas.
—Sabienna Bowman, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
But seriously, the Freedom Caucus and anti-establishment wing that ousted McCarthy over cutting that initial spending deal stands ready to be the grinch in this scenario.
—Leah Askarinam, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2023
Which brings us to this Christmas and a pernicious grinch named COVID who has teamed up with the Grim Reaper to batter us with waves of record-setting deaths, a resurgence of jobless claims and another lockdown here and in much of California.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2020
Does the sentimentality of the golden age Miracle on 34th Street (or its 1994 remake) warm the cockles of a grinch-like heart?
—Jordan Wilson, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Dec. 2019
Consider this my public service announcement one for all the grinches, the recluses, and sufferers of seasonal affective disorder.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 20 Dec. 2019
Only California, Hawaii and Nevada are bigger grinches, the study found.
—David Selig, sun-sentinel.com, 10 Dec. 2019
David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
The Pompano Beach, Fla. doesn’t play grinch alone; Veeze, Lil Yachty, Rob49, Juvenile, and B.G. also appear on the project.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Buy Now 08 of 26 'How My Neighbor Stole Christmas' by Meghan Quinn
A neighborhood grinch learns the true meaning of Christmas courtesy of his sunshiny neighbor in How My Neighbor Stole Christmas.
—Sabienna Bowman, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
But seriously, the Freedom Caucus and anti-establishment wing that ousted McCarthy over cutting that initial spending deal stands ready to be the grinch in this scenario.
—Leah Askarinam, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2023
Which brings us to this Christmas and a pernicious grinch named COVID who has teamed up with the Grim Reaper to batter us with waves of record-setting deaths, a resurgence of jobless claims and another lockdown here and in much of California.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2020
Does the sentimentality of the golden age Miracle on 34th Street (or its 1994 remake) warm the cockles of a grinch-like heart?
—Jordan Wilson, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Dec. 2019
Consider this my public service announcement one for all the grinches, the recluses, and sufferers of seasonal affective disorder.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 20 Dec. 2019
Only California, Hawaii and Nevada are bigger grinches, the study found.
—David Selig, sun-sentinel.com, 10 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinch
Noun
-
In fact, cynics do worse on cognitive tests and have a harder time spotting liars than non-cynics.—
Jamil Zaki,
TIME,
3 Sep. 2024
-
And yes, there are plenty of options for V-Day cynics, including He's Just Not That Into You and a particularly bloody '80s slasher flick.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Those unfamiliar with the play may lose the thread in this iambic marathon as Izzard madly dashes to and fro, making the first act drag.—
Karen D'Souza,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2025
-
The musical comedy is about a French gay couple who own a drag nightclub.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Anybody who asks for more from this new production, therefore, or who points out what is missing, risks the charge of being the merest killjoy.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Within the dog-button community, Horowitz is regarded as a killjoy.—
Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Another study showed that a whole bunch of different marine species, including nudibranchs, but also species of snail, lobster, and crab were spotted farther north than their usual range during a heat wave.—
Byrd Pinkerton,
Vox,
1 Apr. 2025
-
In the Gaslamp, Rustic Root is offering Maryland crab cake Benedict, a 28-day dry aged ribeye and chocolate bread pudding from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Suddenly, the Republicans were the spoilsports who couldn’t take the joke, a position stereotypically held by politically correct liberals.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vox,
9 Aug. 2024
-
Millennial workers are increasingly becoming the office spoilsports, with young people increasingly likely to be in it for the money rather than for fun, as years of economic turmoil force them to keep their heads down, collect their monthly paychecks, and fight for a promotion.—
BYRyan Hogg,
Fortune Europe,
26 June 2024
Noun
-
Not all of McCarthy’s early plans to develop franchises for Paramount+ bore fruit.—
Ryan Faughnder,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2025
-
But screenwriter Jared Rosenberg puts him on mute about a third of the way through and that leaves us stranded with Madelyn (Dockery) and Winston (Grace), two one-dimensional bores.—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Despite his literal change of heart, the Grinch continues to symbolize holiday party poopers everywhere.—
Mike Miller,
People.com,
19 Dec. 2024
-
Mosquitoes are, in fact, hellish little bugs that take the gold for summer’s biggest party poopers.—
Katie Camero,
SELF,
25 July 2024
Noun
-
Just wait until tech investors are smothered by the ultimate wet blanket: the uncharted territory of Trump tariffs.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The last thing a drag queen should be is a wet blanket; RuPaul is the ultimate hang.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinch. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share