The mixed‐ligand Mn(II), Fe(III), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Zr(IV) complexes of meloxicam (H2mel) and 2,2′‐bipyridine (Bipy) were prepared and characterized. For all complexes, the analytical and spectroscopic results revealed that H2mel acts in a monobasic bidentate manner through the oxygen of the amide and nitrogen of the thiazole groups, whereas Bipy coordinates through the two nitrogen atoms with slightly distorted octahedral geometry. Thermodynamic parameters (E, ΔS*, ΔH* and ΔG*) were calculated using Coats–Redfern and Horowitz–Metzger methods. The geometries of H2mel and the complexes were carefully studied using density functional theory to predict the properties of materials performed using the hybrid density functional method B3LYP. All studied complexes are soft with respect to H2mel where η varies from 0.096 for Zn(II) complex to 0.067 for Fe(III) complex and σ varies from 10.42 to 14.93 eV, while η and σ for H2mel are 0.14 and 7.14 eV, respectively. The antibacterial activities of the ligands and metal complexes were investigated and the data show that the complexes are active against some bacterial species compared with H2mel.