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 stingy
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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 stingy
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
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 17 Oct. 2025
But with the advent of new materials and technologies in the latter half of the 20th century, many of these styles outlived their usefulness in the original contexts they were meant to be worn.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2025
Corky Carroll, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
What does a shutdown mean for the military?
—Terry Moseley, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
The host, Scotty, is an acerbic jerk who saves his meanest digs for Richter’s Mickey.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mean
Verb
Tom Cruise’s romance with Ana de Armas never really seemed like it was meant to last.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 17 Oct. 2025
But with the advent of new materials and technologies in the latter half of the 20th century, many of these styles outlived their usefulness in the original contexts they were meant to be worn.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
His journey involved freighters, hitchhiking and about any means of transportation available that was not an airplane or rental car.
—Corky Carroll, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
What does a shutdown mean for the military?
—Terry Moseley, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Is that a mean stunt, or an experiment in action poetry?
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
The host, Scotty, is an acerbic jerk who saves his meanest digs for Richter’s Mickey.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mean
Verb
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Ice is often taken for granted today, but the ability to both store and keep frozen water signified immense influence and privilege in ancient cultures.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
16 Oct. 2025
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In 2021, Jonah earned his F&I certification, which signifies an expertise in vehicle financing as well as automotive insurance and legal compliance.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As mentioned above, the outcome of that bet does not matter.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
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Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And the project is taking advantage of a loophole in Greenlandic law intended to ban oil drilling.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
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Smokeless tobacco is considered anything from snuff, snus, chewing tobacco, moist snuff and any other tobacco intended to be used or consumed by any means.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Their 3-1 victory over the Brewers on Thursday, in a game that felt more comfortable than the score might have indicated, put them in position to get back to the World Series for the second year in a row, third time in six years and fifth time in the last nine.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
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Their results indicate that thermal machines functioning at the atomic scale are capable of converting not only heat but also correlations into usable work.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Diwali is celebrated during the Hindu month of Kartik, which typically falls between the middle of October and the middle of November.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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The middle of his chest was covered with a large, gooey piece of gauze.—
Jeff Pearlman,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That is the doing of CEO Robin Vince.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
16 Oct. 2025
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Hutch, who had taught Julia the art of visualization, had told her that the nature of anything, including cognition, was best understood in the doing.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The nonprofit provides emergency housing, a one-year program ministry and job training to help reduce homelessness in the San Diego area.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Oct. 2025
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The Amsterdam Court of Appeal document referred to a meeting in June between the Dutch foreign ministry and the US Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The team examined $160 million worth of prime contracts, subcontracts and procurements that the city awarded during the period from 2019 through 2023.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
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Also in September, robbers stole $11 million worth of porcelain works, described as national treasures, from the Adrien Dubouché National Museum in the French town of Limoges.—
Rebecca Rosman,
NPR,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mean. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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