diff --git a/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/array.py b/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/array.py
index 86c1ce207e22..9e48ee43cb9d 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/array.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/array.py
@@ -22,12 +22,13 @@
 
     InvalidArguments,
 )
+from ...interpreterbase.baseobjects import InterpreterObjectTypeVar
 from ...mparser import PlusAssignmentNode
 
 if T.TYPE_CHECKING:
     from ...interpreterbase import TYPE_kwargs
 
-class ArrayHolder(ObjectHolder[T.List[TYPE_var]], IterableObject):
+class ArrayHolder(ObjectHolder[T.List[InterpreterObjectTypeVar]], IterableObject):
     # Operators that only require type checks
     TRIVIAL_OPERATORS = {
         MesonOperator.EQUALS: (list, lambda obj, x: obj.held_object == x),
@@ -53,7 +54,7 @@ def size(self) -> int:
     @typed_pos_args('array.contains', object)
     @InterpreterObject.method('contains')
     def contains_method(self, args: T.Tuple[object], kwargs: TYPE_kwargs) -> bool:
-        def check_contains(el: T.List[TYPE_var]) -> bool:
+        def check_contains(el: T.List[InterpreterObjectTypeVar]) -> bool:
             for element in el:
                 if isinstance(element, list):
                     found = check_contains(element)
diff --git a/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/dict.py b/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/dict.py
index 794c1505e053..6b7bbb6fac9e 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/dict.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/dict.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
     typed_pos_args,
 
     TYPE_var,
+    TYPE_elementary,
 
     InvalidArguments,
 )
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@
 if T.TYPE_CHECKING:
     from ...interpreterbase import TYPE_kwargs
 
-class DictHolder(ObjectHolder[T.Dict[str, TYPE_var]], IterableObject):
+class DictHolder(ObjectHolder[dict[str, TYPE_elementary]], IterableObject):
     # Operators that only require type checks
     TRIVIAL_OPERATORS = {
         # Arithmetic
diff --git a/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/integer.py b/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/integer.py
index 443458c92eaa..6bbf8901f49d 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/integer.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/interpreter/primitives/integer.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class IntegerHolder(ObjectHolder[int]):
     def display_name(self) -> str:
         return 'int'
 
-    def operator_call(self, operator: MesonOperator, other: TYPE_var) -> TYPE_var:
+    def operator_call(self, operator: MesonOperator, other: int) -> int | bool:
         if isinstance(other, bool):
             FeatureBroken.single_use('int operations with non-int', '1.2.0', self.subproject,
                                      'It is not commutative and only worked because of leaky Python abstractions.',
diff --git a/mesonbuild/interpreterbase/baseobjects.py b/mesonbuild/interpreterbase/baseobjects.py
index 23407a42ff08..49aedecaabd3 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/interpreterbase/baseobjects.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/interpreterbase/baseobjects.py
@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@
     # Object holders need the actual interpreter
     from ..interpreter import Interpreter
 
+    _TV_IntegerObject = T.TypeVar('_TV_IntegerObject', bound='InterpreterObject', contravariant=True)
+    _TV_ARG1 = T.TypeVar('_TV_ARG1', bound='TYPE_var', contravariant=True)
+
+    class FN_Operator(T.Protocol[_TV_IntegerObject, _TV_ARG1]):
+        def __call__(s, self: _TV_IntegerObject, other: _TV_ARG1) -> TYPE_var: ...
+    TV_FN_Operator = T.TypeVar('TV_FN_Operator', bound=FN_Operator)
+
 
 TV_func = T.TypeVar('TV_func', bound=T.Callable[..., T.Any])
 
@@ -28,20 +35,22 @@
 TYPE_kwargs = T.Dict[str, TYPE_var]
 TYPE_nkwargs = T.Dict[str, TYPE_nvar]
 TYPE_key_resolver = T.Callable[[mparser.BaseNode], str]
+
+HoldableTypes = (HoldableObject, int, bool, str, list, dict)
+TYPE_HoldableTypes = T.Union[TYPE_var, HoldableObject]
+InterpreterObjectTypeVar = T.TypeVar('InterpreterObjectTypeVar', bound=TYPE_HoldableTypes)
+
 TYPE_op_arg = T.TypeVar('TYPE_op_arg', bound='TYPE_var', contravariant=True)
-TYPE_op_func = T.Callable[[TYPE_op_arg, TYPE_op_arg], TYPE_var]
+TYPE_op_func: TypeAlias = T.Union[
+    T.Callable[['InterpreterObject[TYPE_op_arg, InterpreterObjectTypeVar]', TYPE_op_arg], TYPE_op_arg],
+    T.Callable[['InterpreterObject[TYPE_op_arg, InterpreterObjectTypeVar]', TYPE_op_arg], bool]
+]
 TYPE_method_func = T.Callable[['InterpreterObject', T.List[TYPE_var], TYPE_kwargs], TYPE_var]
 
-class InterpreterObject:
-    TRIVIAL_OPERATORS: T.Dict[
-        MesonOperator,
-        T.Tuple[
-            T.Union[T.Type, T.Tuple[T.Type, ...]],
-            TYPE_op_func
-        ]
-    ] = {}
+class InterpreterObject(T.Generic[TYPE_op_arg, InterpreterObjectTypeVar]):
+    TRIVIAL_OPERATORS: dict[MesonOperator, T.Tuple[type[TYPE_op_arg] | type[InterpreterObjectTypeVar] | type[InterpreterObjectTypeVar] | None, TYPE_op_func[TYPE_op_arg, InterpreterObjectTypeVar]]] = {}
 
-    OPERATORS: T.Dict[MesonOperator, TYPE_op_func] = {}
+    OPERATORS: T.Dict[MesonOperator, TYPE_op_func[TYPE_op_arg, InterpreterObjectTypeVar]] = {}
 
     METHODS: T.Dict[
         str,
@@ -90,10 +99,10 @@ def decorator(f: TV_func) -> TV_func:
         return decorator
 
     @staticmethod
-    def operator(op: MesonOperator) -> T.Callable[[TV_func], TV_func]:
+    def operator(op: MesonOperator) -> T.Callable[[TV_FN_Operator], TV_FN_Operator]:
         '''Decorator that tags a method as the implementation of an operator
            for the Meson interpreter'''
-        def decorator(f: TV_func) -> TV_func:
+        def decorator(f: TV_FN_Operator) -> TV_FN_Operator:
             f.meson_operator = op    # type: ignore[attr-defined]
             return f
         return decorator
@@ -129,7 +138,7 @@ def method_call(
             ustr += f' Did you mean "{close_matches[0]}"?'
         raise InvalidCode(ustr)
 
-    def operator_call(self, operator: MesonOperator, other: TYPE_var) -> TYPE_var:
+    def operator_call(self, operator: MesonOperator, other: TYPE_op_arg) -> TYPE_op_arg | bool:
         if operator in self.TRIVIAL_OPERATORS:
             op = self.TRIVIAL_OPERATORS[operator]
             if op[0] is None and other is not None:
@@ -180,11 +189,10 @@ class UndefinedVariable(MesonInterpreterObject):
     '''This class is only used for the rewriter/static introspection tool and
     represents the `value` a meson-variable has if it was never written to.'''
 
-HoldableTypes = (HoldableObject, int, bool, str, list, dict)
-TYPE_HoldableTypes = T.Union[TYPE_var, HoldableObject]
-InterpreterObjectTypeVar = T.TypeVar('InterpreterObjectTypeVar', bound=TYPE_HoldableTypes)
 
-class ObjectHolder(InterpreterObject, T.Generic[InterpreterObjectTypeVar]):
+ContainerObjectTypeVar: TypeAlias = InterpreterObjectTypeVar
+
+class ObjectHolder(InterpreterObject[InterpreterObjectTypeVar, ContainerObjectTypeVar]):
     def __init__(self, obj: InterpreterObjectTypeVar, interpreter: 'Interpreter') -> None:
         super().__init__(subproject=interpreter.subproject)
         # This causes some type checkers to assume that obj is a base
diff --git a/mesonbuild/interpreterbase/decorators.py b/mesonbuild/interpreterbase/decorators.py
index ff2848cc288e..008188d275ca 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/interpreterbase/decorators.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/interpreterbase/decorators.py
@@ -16,24 +16,17 @@
 import typing as T
 
 if T.TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from typing_extensions import Protocol, TypeAlias, TypeIs
+    from typing_extensions import TypeAlias, TypeIs
 
     from .. import mparser
     from ..mesonlib import SubProject
     from ..modules import ModuleObject, ModuleState
     from ..mparser import FunctionNode
     from ..optinterpreter import OptionInterpreter
-    from .baseobjects import InterpreterObject, ObjectHolder, TV_func, TYPE_var, TYPE_kwargs
+    from .baseobjects import InterpreterObject, TV_func, TYPE_var, TYPE_kwargs, TV_FN_Operator, TYPE_op_arg, InterpreterObjectTypeVar
     from .interpreterbase import InterpreterBase
     from .operator import MesonOperator
 
-    _TV_IntegerObject = T.TypeVar('_TV_IntegerObject', bound=InterpreterObject, contravariant=True)
-    _TV_ARG1 = T.TypeVar('_TV_ARG1', bound=TYPE_var, contravariant=True)
-
-    class FN_Operator(Protocol[_TV_IntegerObject, _TV_ARG1]):
-        def __call__(s, self: _TV_IntegerObject, other: _TV_ARG1) -> TYPE_var: ...
-    _TV_FN_Operator = T.TypeVar('_TV_FN_Operator', bound=FN_Operator)
-
     CalleeArgs: TypeAlias = T.Tuple[mparser.BaseNode, T.Optional[T.List[TYPE_var]], T.Optional[TYPE_kwargs], SubProject]
 
     MesonVersionTarget = mesonlib.Range[mesonlib.Version] | mesonlib.NoProjectVersion | None
@@ -48,7 +41,7 @@ def get_callee_args(wrapped_args: T.Tuple[InterpreterObject, T.List[TYPE_var], T
 
 
 @T.overload
-def get_callee_args(wrapped_args: T.Tuple[ObjectHolder, object]) -> CalleeArgs: ...
+def get_callee_args(wrapped_args: T.Tuple[InterpreterObject[TYPE_op_arg, InterpreterObjectTypeVar], TYPE_op_arg]) -> CalleeArgs: ...
 
 
 @T.overload
@@ -65,7 +58,7 @@ def get_callee_args(wrapped_args: T.Tuple[OptionInterpreter, str, str, T.List[TY
 
 def get_callee_args(wrapped_args: T.Union[
             T.Tuple[InterpreterObject, T.List[TYPE_var], TYPE_kwargs],
-            T.Tuple[ObjectHolder, object],
+            T.Tuple[InterpreterObject, TYPE_var],
             T.Tuple[InterpreterBase, FunctionNode, T.List[TYPE_var], TYPE_kwargs],
             T.Tuple[ModuleObject, ModuleState, T.List[TYPE_var], TYPE_kwargs],
             T.Tuple[OptionInterpreter, str, str, T.List[TYPE_var], TYPE_kwargs],
@@ -137,19 +130,19 @@ def kwargs_get_close_matches(invalid_kwargs: T.Set[str], valid_kwargs: T.Set[str
     return with_close_matches
 
 def typed_operator(operator: MesonOperator,
-                   types: T.Union[T.Type, T.Tuple[T.Type, ...]]) -> T.Callable[['_TV_FN_Operator'], '_TV_FN_Operator']:
+                   types: T.Union[T.Type, T.Tuple[T.Type, ...]]) -> T.Callable[[TV_FN_Operator], TV_FN_Operator]:
     """Decorator that does type checking for operator calls.
 
     The principle here is similar to typed_pos_args, however much simpler
     since only one other object ever is passed
     """
-    def inner(f: '_TV_FN_Operator') -> '_TV_FN_Operator':
+    def inner(f: TV_FN_Operator) -> TV_FN_Operator:
         @wraps(f)
         def wrapper(self: 'InterpreterObject', other: TYPE_var) -> TYPE_var:
             if not isinstance(other, types):
                 raise InvalidArguments(f'The `{operator.value}` of {self.display_name()} does not accept objects of type {type(other).__name__} ({other})')
             return f(self, other)
-        return T.cast('_TV_FN_Operator', wrapper)
+        return T.cast('TV_FN_Operator', wrapper)
     return inner