poor-spiritedadj.

1611 Second Maiden's Trag. (1909) iii. i. 42 My lorde, my loue,—o thow poore spirited man.

1627 Sir J. Oglander Mem. (1888) 38 I speake of ye meanor sorte of them; a base, poorespirited, cowardlie people.

1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa ii. ii. 170 Certain pittifull and poor-spirited reasons.

1710 J. Norris Treat. Christian Prudence viii. 363 That sottish and poor-spirited Vice, the Vice of Covetousness.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. iii. v. 181 Master Blifil was generally called a sneaking Rascal, a poor-spirited Wretch, with other Epithets of the like Kind. View more context for this quotation

1822 N. Amer. Rev. Apr. 289 To place a man like Socrates in so odious a light..is to confess its author to be poor-spirited in feeling and base in principle, beyond all that he has himself alleged against Socrates.

1860 ‘G. Eliot’ Mill on Floss II. iii. i. 4 Mr Tulliver would never have asked anything from so poor-spirited a fellow for himself.

1918 N. Duncan Battles Royal II. iv. 129 Tall was none too sure of himself—he was terribly weak and poor-spirited.

1972 J. Aiken Butterfly Picnic i. 14 Why not appeal to my brothers? Well..they would think it very poor-spirited.

2000 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 27 Apr. 60/1 Ronald Dworkin's review..of two recent books of mine..is so unmistakably a personal attack that I would be poor-spirited not to respond.