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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Susan Mallie, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2025
Twice a day, smoke rises from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, signaling the outcome of each vote: black smoke means no decision has been made, while white smoke signals that a new pope has been elected.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Matthew Aucoin, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
Many of the objectives listed above no longer make sense, or they could be met through other means.
—ArsTechnica, 14 Apr. 2025
Devadas Pattathil, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Larsa Pippen found out the hard way what life is like in the mean ‘burbs.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mean
Verb
Despite a sentence that will likely mean spending the rest of her life in prison, Melody remains determined to prove her innocence.
—Susan Mallie, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2025
Twice a day, smoke rises from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, signaling the outcome of each vote: black smoke means no decision has been made, while white smoke signals that a new pope has been elected.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Noun
But our culture doesn’t offer many incentives to stick with notation as a primary means of creative expression.
—Matthew Aucoin, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
Many of the objectives listed above no longer make sense, or they could be met through other means.
—ArsTechnica, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Monitor performance using mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE).
—Devadas Pattathil, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Larsa Pippen found out the hard way what life is like in the mean ‘burbs.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mean
Verb
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During the era of the former Prince Regent, colour was used as a status symbol and the decadent colour scheme employed by his interior designers– from opulent gold to aristocratic purple–was a status symbol used by the aristocracy to signify wealth and good taste.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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An all-women Blue Origin spaceflight signifies only that several women have amassed the social capital to be friends with Lauren Sánchez.—
Amanda Hess,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Thirty-one percent of young men said the economy matters most to them at this time, but the largest share of Gen Z women, 22%, said threats to democracy were their top issue.—
Annabella Rosciglione,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Apr. 2025
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Honestly, the fact that these ballet heels are more than approved by one of the most prolific young actors on the scene is irrevocable proof that age doesn't matter at all in fashion.—
María Munsuri,
Glamour,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The administration claims the cuts are intended to reduce redundancy and inefficiency.—
Catherine Blackwood,
Scientific American,
17 Apr. 2025
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The resolution states that the city intends to enter into an agreement that complies with Florida law while remaining within the limits of the city’s budget.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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McFarland claimed 2,000 tickets were available for the festival, but shared permits indicated that only space for 250 people had been obtained.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
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Initial findings indicate that all victims were employees of J&B Malunggay Bakery and were residing in the premises.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Burden plays bigger than his 5-11 frame and has good speed to work in the middle of the field.—
Nate Taylor,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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Sitting in the middle can really suck the joy out of travel.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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For just one example, since the Constitution sets up the Supreme Court as one of today’s major authorities, why would anyone believe that court’s justices might have jurisdiction over the doings of a constitutional revision convention that might potentially change or eliminate the court itself?—
Thomas Elias,
Mercury News,
11 Apr. 2025
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And although there are still more doings to discuss in Tanchico—the quest to discover the bracelets-n-collars is heating up!—the fact that all of these episodes are an hour long means there are so many other things to discuss.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Modi held a meeting with the national security adviser, the foreign minister and other senior officials at the airport and a special security cabinet meeting had been called for 1230 GMT, a defence ministry official said.—
Fayaz Bukhari,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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Orange County commissioners planned to consider Tuesday a zoning request for a housing project proposed by a church ministry that had sheltered homeless people in storage containers until the fire marshal shuttered the facilities last year.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Roughly half a trillion dollars’ worth of Chinese goods, or 15 percent of China’s total annual exports, are imperiled by the trade war, but Chinese President Xi Jinping has shown no signs of backing down.—
Chang Che,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
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The two countries exchange more than eight hundred billion dollars’ worth of goods a year, and industries throughout the U.S. rely on Mexican labor.—
Stephania Taladrid,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mean. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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