Synonyms of mean
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as in to signify 
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as in to matter
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as in to intend
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as in to indicate
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as in middle
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as in doing
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as in ministry
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as in worth
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as in average
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as in low
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as in careful
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as in cruel
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as in dirty
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as in inferior
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as in awesome
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as in dilapidated
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as in lame
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1
as in to signify
to communicate or convey (as an idea) to the mind
the national anthem means various things to various people
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Relevance
2
as in to matter
to be of importance
your presence at my graduation would mean a lot to me
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3
as in to intend
to have in mind as a purpose or goal
I mean to win this race
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1
as in middle
a middle point between extremes
that candidate's moderate views were seen as the mean that voters were looking for
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2
as in doing
means plural
an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result
won the competition by fair and honest means
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3
as in ministry
means plural
something used to achieve an end
the ends don't justify the means
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4
as in worth
means plural
the total of one's money and property
a woman of considerable means
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as in average
being about midway between extremes of amount or size
for the state of Florida, what is the mean number of sunny days per month?
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1
as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank
Alexander Hamilton seems to have had feelings of inferiority because of his mean origins
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2
as in careful
giving or sharing as little as possible
a mean child who hoarded all her toys
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3
as in cruel
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
a mean, embittered old woman who wanted company for her misery
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4
as in dirty
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
a mean trick to play on a trusting person
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5
as in inferior
of little or less value or merit
it's no mean feat to memorize that long poem
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6
as in awesome
of the very best kind
I'm a mean dancer, so you could do worse than go to the prom with me
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7
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
he worked hard to escape the mean neighborhood of his youth
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8
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
that was no mean stunt to pull off, especially with so little advance preparation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mean
Fanny Guénon Des Mesnards, Architectural Digest, 1 Feb. 2025
With a nudge first from Nell and then more forcefully from Herb, that means acknowledging his attraction to the shopkeeper Amanda, and maybe even acting on it.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2025
Joe Reid, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2025
The Trump’s administration discontinuation of CBP One on Monday has led to worries that maritime migration attempts will once more increase now that migrants have one less legal means to enter the country.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
Kelly Tyko, Axios, 24 Jan. 2025
Dear Abby: My husband of 58 years is an alcoholic, but not a mean one.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mean 
Verb
An illustrious modeling career means Elsesser is often jet-setting the globe, and as a result, her time at home has become her vacation time.
—Fanny Guénon Des Mesnards, Architectural Digest, 1 Feb. 2025
With a nudge first from Nell and then more forcefully from Herb, that means acknowledging his attraction to the shopkeeper Amanda, and maybe even acting on it.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2025
Noun
Hamm plays a hedge-fund manager who gets canned and resorts to criminal means to maintain his lifestyle.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2025
The Trump’s administration discontinuation of CBP One on Monday has led to worries that maritime migration attempts will once more increase now that migrants have one less legal means to enter the country.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Also, as of May 2023, workers in the San Antonio area had a mean hourly wage of $27.74, lower than the national average of $31.48, per the latest data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
—Kelly Tyko, Axios, 24 Jan. 2025
Dear Abby: My husband of 58 years is an alcoholic, but not a mean one.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mean
Verb
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The ending hour signifies when the areas should be cleared of all participants as runners make their way to the finish line in downtown Miami.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2025
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For Jamie Kern Lima — the co-founder of IT Cosmetics, and a guest Shark on the episode — and Greiner, this signified an inventory management problem.—
Ryan Johnston,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
Richard Davenport,
arkansasonline.com,
3 Feb. 2025
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The other option for the NCAA, conferences and colleges would be to recognize athletes as employees who in turn unionize, but as shown through the Dartmouth and USC matters at the NLRB, college sports leaders adamantly oppose college athletes forming unions.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
2 Feb. 2025
Verb
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To sum it up, a personal color analysis is intended to determine which colors suit you best depending on your skin’s undertone.—
Kleigh Balugo,
StyleCaster,
23 Jan. 2025
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In 2022 Russia intended to remove the government in Kyiv and replace it with a friendly proxy, turning the country away from the West and incorporating it into a Russian sphere of influence.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The OpenAI spokesperson indicated the White House may get involved in the dispute.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC News,
30 Jan. 2025
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Harris indicated Wednesday the Tigers may not be done adding to their bullpen, leaving the door open for someone else to enter the picture as a clear ninth-inning option.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
The Athletic,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Adam Fox is a No. 1 defenseman, and Miller, Trocheck and Zibanejad give the Rangers depth and firepower up the middle.—
Peter Baugh,
The Athletic,
1 Feb. 2025
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One such storm is affecting the Pacific Northwest this weekend, and impacts will linger until the middle of next week.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The doing is what demonstrates that our commitment to growth is real and a constant work in progress.—
James Fishler,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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Edwards missed six of his first seven shots — all his own doing — but went on to make 11 of his final 14 attempts.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Babies dying ‘in front of us’ More than 1,054 health workers and medical professionals have been killed, including at least six pediatricians and five obstetrician-gynecologists, HRW said, citing the health ministry in Gaza.—
Ibrahim Dahman,
CNN,
28 Jan. 2025
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Newsweek has reached out the White House press team, Jordan's foreign ministry, and the office of Egypt's State Information for comment via email on Sunday.—
Joel Thayer,
Newsweek,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
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These are professionals stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of items at a time.—
Cailey Locklair,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Jan. 2025
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But that could also hurt American consumers: The U.S. imported $17.5 billion dollars' worth of goods from Colombia in 2024, according to Moody's Analytics.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
26 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near mean
Cite this Entry
“Mean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mean. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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