When people act in ways that are not kind, we sometimes use special words to describe them. These words help us explain what we feel or see. One way to talk about these actions is by using similes. A simile compares two things using the words “like” or “as.” This helps us picture the action better.
For example, someone might say, “He was as cold as ice,” to show the person didn’t care about someone’s feelings. In this article, we will look at similes that help describe mean actions. These phrases will help kids understand feelings, how to talk about them, and maybe even how to be kinder. Let’s learn together.
Similes for Mean
1. Like a cold wind
Meaning: Unkind or unfriendly
To Provide an Example: She looked at me like a cold wind. / His words felt like a cold wind.
Alternative Meaning: Makes others feel bad / No warmth or kindness
2. Like a sharp thorn
Meaning: Hurtful in speech or action
To Provide an Example: His joke was like a sharp thorn. / She spoke like a sharp thorn.
Alternative Meaning: Causes pain / Mean on purpose
3. Like a storm cloud
Meaning: Always angry or upset
To Provide an Example: He came in like a storm cloud. / Her mood was like a storm cloud.
Alternative Meaning: Brings trouble / Hard to be around
4. Like a locked door
Meaning: Doesn’t let others in or care
To Provide an Example: He acted like a locked door. / She was like a locked door when I said hi.
Alternative Meaning: Won’t share feelings / Keeps others out
5. Like ice on a sidewalk
Meaning: Cold and dangerous
To Provide an Example: Her smile was like ice on a sidewalk. / He treated me like ice on a sidewalk.
Alternative Meaning: Looks nice but isn’t / Can hurt feelings
6. Like a barking dog
Meaning: Loud and scary
To Provide an Example: He yelled like a barking dog. / She was like a barking dog when mad.
Alternative Meaning: Always angry / Tries to scare others
7. Like a broken toy
Meaning: Acts in a bad or hurt way
To Provide an Example: He hit the table like a broken toy. / Her feelings were like a broken toy.
Alternative Meaning: Needs care / Hurts others because they’re sad
8. Like a fire alarm
Meaning: Too loud or harsh
To Provide an Example: His words were like a fire alarm. / She shouted like a fire alarm.
Alternative Meaning: Scares people / Not gentle
9. Like a thorn bush
Meaning: Full of little hurts
To Provide an Example: Talking to her was like a thorn bush. / He acted like a thorn bush at lunch.
Alternative Meaning: Always picking on others / Mean in small ways
10. Like a snowball to the face
Meaning: Suddenly mean
To Provide an Example: His joke was like a snowball to the face. / She teased me like a snowball to the face.
Alternative Meaning: Comes out of nowhere / Surprising and hurtful
11. Like a thorn in a shoe
Meaning: Keeps bothering someone
To Provide an Example: He was like a thorn in my shoe all day. / Her words were like a thorn in my shoe.
Alternative Meaning: Always causing small problems / Hard to ignore
12. Like a snake in the grass
Meaning: Sneaky and mean
To Provide an Example: He lied like a snake in the grass. / She tricked us like a snake in the grass.
Alternative Meaning: Hides their meanness / Acts nice but isn’t
13. Like a lion in a cage
Meaning: Angry and ready to snap
To Provide an Example: He stomped like a lion in a cage. / She acted like a lion in a cage when upset.
Alternative Meaning: Very upset / Dangerous to talk to
14. Like sour milk
Meaning: Makes people feel sick inside
To Provide an Example: Her mean joke was like sour milk. / His laugh felt like sour milk.
Alternative Meaning: Leaves a bad feeling / Nasty
15. Like a car horn at night
Meaning: Loud and annoying
To Provide an Example: He yelled like a car horn at night. / Her shouting was like a car horn at night.
Alternative Meaning: Hard to ignore / Makes people upset
16. Like a dark cloud
Meaning: Makes the mood sad or heavy
To Provide an Example: His anger was like a dark cloud. / She walked in like a dark cloud.
Alternative Meaning: Brings bad feelings / Changes the room
17. Like burnt toast
Meaning: Not nice, feels ruined
To Provide an Example: Her words were like burnt toast. / His mood was like burnt toast.
Alternative Meaning: Unpleasant / Spoils the moment
18. Like a slap of wind
Meaning: Sudden and mean
To Provide an Example: He said it like a slap of wind. / Her laugh was like a slap of wind.
Alternative Meaning: Quick and hurtful / Doesn’t care
19. Like a pebble in your shoe
Meaning: Keeps bothering again and again
To Provide an Example: He was like a pebble in my shoe. / Her voice felt like a pebble in my shoe.
Alternative Meaning: Won’t stop / Always causing little troubles
20. Like spoiled fruit
Meaning: Looks okay but is bad inside
To Provide an Example: His smile was like spoiled fruit. / She acted nice but was like spoiled fruit.
Alternative Meaning: Pretends to be kind / Really mean
21. Like a flat tire
Meaning: Ruins a good time
To Provide an Example: His words were like a flat tire. / She made the game feel like a flat tire.
Alternative Meaning: Stops fun / Brings others down
22. Like a buzzer in your ear
Meaning: Annoying and sharp
To Provide an Example: He complained like a buzzer in my ear. / She was like a buzzer in class.
Alternative Meaning: Hard to ignore / Mean and noisy
23. Like stepping on Legos
Meaning: Small but hurts a lot
To Provide an Example: Her joke was like stepping on Legos. / His tease was like stepping on Legos.
Alternative Meaning: Sharp pain / Small thing that feels big
24. Like a freezing pool
Meaning: Shocking and cold
To Provide an Example: His tone was like a freezing pool. / She answered like a freezing pool.
Alternative Meaning: No warmth / Makes others pull away
25. Like a locked toy box
Meaning: Doesn’t share kindness
To Provide an Example: He acted like a locked toy box. / She was like a locked toy box with her feelings.
Alternative Meaning: Keeps goodness inside / Not open to others
26. Like a crow cawing
Meaning: Unpleasant and loud
To Provide an Example: His mean laugh was like a crow cawing. / She yelled like a crow cawing.
Alternative Meaning: Scary and sharp / Sounds mean
27. Like a dusty room
Meaning: Uncomfortable and not nice
To Provide an Example: Talking to him felt like a dusty room. / Her words filled the air like a dusty room.
Alternative Meaning: Makes others feel off / Not clean or warm
28. Like a kicked can
Meaning: Rough and pushed around
To Provide an Example: He treated his friend like a kicked can. / She acted like a kicked can at lunch.
Alternative Meaning: No care / Treating badly
29. Like a splinter
Meaning: Small but hurts all day
To Provide an Example: Her comment was like a splinter. / His look felt like a splinter.
Alternative Meaning: Tiny but painful / Stays in your mind
30. Like a door slamming
Meaning: Harsh and quick
To Provide an Example: He left the room like a door slamming. / She answered like a door slamming.
Alternative Meaning: Final and rude / Shuts people out
31. Like a loose nail
Meaning: Causes little problems often
To Provide an Example: His actions were like a loose nail. / She was like a loose nail during group work.
Alternative Meaning: Always getting in the way / Messy and hurtful
32. Like a cold pancake
Meaning: Not warm or nice
To Provide an Example: Her hello was like a cold pancake. / He acted like a cold pancake at recess.
Alternative Meaning: No feelings / Not friendly
33. Like a growling bear
Meaning: Angry and scary
To Provide an Example: He was like a growling bear when he lost. / She growled like a bear during clean-up.
Alternative Meaning: Acts wild / Pushes others away
34. Like a rusty bike
Meaning: Hard to deal with
To Provide an Example: He was like a rusty bike during the game. / Her behavior was like a rusty bike.
Alternative Meaning: Rough and stuck / Doesn’t work well
35. Like a dry cracker
Meaning: Not fun or friendly
To Provide an Example: His talk was like a dry cracker. / She smiled like a dry cracker.
Alternative Meaning: No joy / Boring and flat
36. Like a broken zipper
Meaning: Can’t keep things together
To Provide an Example: He was like a broken zipper in the group. / She acted like a broken zipper.
Alternative Meaning: Doesn’t help / Makes things worse
37. Like a thunder clap
Meaning: Sudden and loud
To Provide an Example: Her words were like a thunder clap. / He spoke like a thunder clap during lunch.
Alternative Meaning: Shocks others / Scary tone
38. Like a knocked-over chair
Meaning: Makes others feel off
To Provide an Example: His mood was like a knocked-over chair. / She was like a knocked-over chair at recess.
Alternative Meaning: Causes trouble / Makes a mess
39. Like a rattling chain
Meaning: Noisy and upsetting
To Provide an Example: He yelled like a rattling chain. / Her tease was like a rattling chain.
Alternative Meaning: Hurts ears and feelings / Sounds bad
40. Like dry grass
Meaning: Easy to catch fire (get mad)
To Provide an Example: His anger was like dry grass. / She acted like dry grass when we lost.
Alternative Meaning: Gets mad fast / Needs careful handling
41. Like spilled paint
Meaning: Makes a mess with words or actions
To Provide an Example: His mean joke was like spilled paint. / She acted like spilled paint at lunch.
Alternative Meaning: Hurts feelings everywhere / Hard to clean up
42. Like a cold stare
Meaning: Looks mean without saying anything
To Provide an Example: He gave me a look like a cold stare. / Her eyes were like a cold stare.
Alternative Meaning: Mean without talking / Makes people feel bad
43. Like a snapping twig
Meaning: Breaks suddenly when upset
To Provide an Example: He shouted like a snapping twig. / She broke down like a snapping twig.
Alternative Meaning: Quick to anger / Doesn’t hold in feelings
44. Like an empty box
Meaning: Pretends to care but doesn’t
To Provide an Example: Her hug felt like an empty box. / He promised help like an empty box.
Alternative Meaning: Looks nice but has nothing inside
45. Like a stuck zipper
Meaning: Won’t move or help
To Provide an Example: He was like a stuck zipper when we needed help. / She was like a stuck zipper in group work.
Alternative Meaning: Unhelpful / Gets in the way
46. Like a loose button
Meaning: About to fall off and make trouble
To Provide an Example: His mood was like a loose button. / She acted like a loose button when teased.
Alternative Meaning: Ready to snap / Not stable
47. Like a tipped-over trash can
Meaning: Messy and upsetting
To Provide an Example: His words were like a tipped-over trash can. / She acted like a tipped-over trash can during the game.
Alternative Meaning: Creates mess / Hard to fix
48. Like a wild wind
Meaning: Mean and out of control
To Provide an Example: He shouted like a wild wind. / She was like a wild wind on the field.
Alternative Meaning: Hurts others fast / Pushes people away
49. Like a pin in a balloon
Meaning: Breaks happy times
To Provide an Example: His comment was like a pin in a balloon. / She ended the game like a pin in a balloon.
Alternative Meaning: Ruins fun / Mean just when things were good
50. Like a cold spoon
Meaning: Unpleasant to be around
To Provide an Example: She acted like a cold spoon at snack time. / He was like a cold spoon in the group.
Alternative Meaning: Makes things feel off / No joy or care
Trials for Success: Similes for Mean
- When Lily ignored her friend, she was like a _______ in the grass.
- Ben shouted at his team like a _______ cawing.
- After losing the game, Mia’s mood was like a _______ cloud.
- The bully’s words were like stepping on _______ without shoes.
- Jack’s stare felt like a _______ wind.
- Sarah’s teasing felt like a _______ to the face.
- At lunch, Sam acted like a _______ toy, hitting the table.
- The cold “hello” from Nora felt like a _______ pancake.
- Emma’s joke about my shirt was like a _______ thorn.
- Mark was like a _______ when he growled at his brother.
- Talking to that boy felt like being in a _______ room.
- When she left without a word, it felt like a _______ slamming.
- His mean laugh sounded like a _______ in my ear.
- Chloe’s smile looked sweet but was like _______ fruit.
- David’s actions were like a _______ trash can during art class.
Answer Key
- snake
- crow
- dark
- Legos
- cold
- snowball
- broken
- cold
- sharp
- bear
- dusty
- door
- buzzer
- spoiled
- tipped-over
Conclusion
Sometimes people act in ways that hurt others. When that happens, similes help us talk about it. These short phrases let us explain how someone’s actions feel, using things we already know. Saying someone was “like a cold wind” or “like a barking dog” shows how their words or actions made us feel.
By learning these similes, we can better understand what mean behavior looks like. We can also learn how to talk about it in simple and kind ways. The more we know, the better we can choose to be gentle and caring instead. Words have power, and with similes, we can use that power to share, explain, and grow.
