Thesaurus

mean

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of mean

being about midway between extremes of amount or size

for the state of Florida, what is the mean number of sunny days per month?

Synonyms of mean

average, intermediate, median, medium, middle, middling, midsize (also midsized), moderate, modest

Words Related to mean

reasonable

common, commonplace, conventional, normal, popular, regular, routine, standard, typical, usual

adequate, passable, tolerable

Near Antonyms of mean

excessive, extreme

exceptional, rare, strange, uncommon, unusual

distinctive, idiosyncratic, special, unique

individual, peculiar, private

Synonym Discussion of mean

mean, ignoble, abject, sordid mean being below the normal standards of human decency and dignity. mean suggests small-mindedness, ill temper, or cupidity.

- mean and petty satire

ignoble suggests a loss or lack of some essential high quality of mind or spirit.

- an ignoble scramble after material possessions

abject may imply degradation, debasement, or servility.

- abject poverty

sordid is stronger than all of these in stressing physical or spiritual degradation and abjectness.

- a sordid story of murder and revenge

Synonym Discussion of mean

mean

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of mean

1 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

Synonyms of mean

baseborn, common, humble, ignoble, inferior, low, low-life, lowborn, lower-class, lowly, lumpen, plebeian, prole, proletarian, unwashed, vulgar

Words Related to mean

bourgeois, middle-class

plain, poor, simple, working-class

déclassé, down-market, downscale

Near Antonyms of mean

eminent, illustrious, notable, prominent

Antonyms of mean

aristocratic, blue-blooded, genteel, gentle, grand, great, high, highborn, highbred, lofty, noble, patrician, upper-class, upper-crust, wellborn

2 giving or sharing as little as possible

a mean child who hoarded all her toys

Synonyms of mean

cheap, chintzy, close, closefisted, mingy, miserly, niggard, niggardly, parsimonious, penny-pinching, penurious, pinching, pinchpenny, spare, sparing, stingy, stinting, tight, tightfisted, uncharitable, ungenerous

Words Related to mean

careful, chary, conserving, economical, economizing, frugal, saving, scrimping, skimping, thrifty

acquisitive, avaricious, avid, coveting, covetous, desirous, grasping, greedy, hoggish, itchy, mercenary, rapacious, selfish, shabby, small, sordid

begrudging, envious, grudging, resentful

inhospitable

Near Antonyms of mean

altruistic, selfless, unselfish

extravagant, free, handsome, lavish, overgenerous, profuse

beneficent, benevolent, hospitable, humanitarian, philanthropic (also philanthropical)

compassionate, good-hearted, greathearted, kindly, magnanimous, openhearted

thriftless, unthrifty

dissipating, frittering, prodigal, profligate, spendthrift, splurging, squandering, wasteful, wasting

Antonyms of mean

bounteous, bountiful, charitable, freehanded, generous, liberal, munificent, openhanded, unsparing, unstinting

3 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

Synonyms of mean

bad [slang], bitchy, catty, cruel, despiteful, hateful, malevolent, malicious, malign, malignant, nasty, spiteful, vicious, virulent

Words Related to mean

devious, scoundrelly, scurvy, snakelike

acrimonious, bitter, envious, jaundiced, jealous, rancorous, resentful, vindictive, vitriolic

contemptuous, deprecating, derogatory, disdainful, disparaging, mean-spirited, obnoxious, opprobrious, scornful, snide, snotty, unkind, unkindly, unloving

baleful, baneful, evil

harsh, hostile, inimical

acrid, caustic, poisonous, scathing, venomous

Near Antonyms of mean

compassionate, good, good-hearted, kind, kindhearted, kindly, sympathetic, warm, warmhearted

affable, agreeable, amiable, cordial, friendly, genial, gracious, nice, pleasant

affectionate, amorous, sweet, tender, tenderhearted

humane

altruistic, high-minded, humanitarian, magnanimous, noble, philanthropic (also philanthropical)

Antonyms of mean

benevolent, benign, benignant, loving, unmalicious

4 not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency

a mean trick to play on a trusting person

Synonyms of mean

base, contemptible, currish, despicable, detestable, dirty, dishonorable, execrable, ignoble, ignominious, low, low-down, low-minded, nasty, paltry, snide, sordid, vile, wretched

Words Related to mean

bad, black, evil, foul, immoral, iniquitous, miscreant, wicked, wrong

cruel, vicious

blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible

corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, perverted

atrocious, villainous

unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous

discreditable, disgraceful, disreputable, shameful, unworthy

Near Antonyms of mean

ethical, honest, just, principled, righteous, right-minded, scrupulous

commendable, excellent, exemplary, good, moral, right

decent, proper, reputable, respectable, seemly

blameless, guiltless

incorruptible, irreproachable

uncorrupted, unerring

Antonyms of mean

high, high-minded, honorable, lofty, noble, straight, upright, venerable, virtuous

5 of little or less value or merit

it's no mean feat to memorize that long poem

Synonyms of mean

inferior, minor, second-class, second-rate, secondary

Words Related to mean

junior, lesser, lower, low-level, petty, smaller, subordinate, under

average, common, fair, middling, ordinary

amiss, bad, defective, unsatisfactory, wrong

deficient, inadequate, insufficient, unacceptable

littler, slighter, smaller

jerkwater, low-rent, one-horse, small-time, two-bit

Near Antonyms of mean

major, more, primary, senior

choice, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, high-grade, premium, prime, select, selected

acceptable, adequate, sufficient

Antonyms of mean

greater, higher, superior

6 of the very best kind

Iʼm a mean dancer, so you could do worse than go to the prom with me

Synonyms of mean

A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (also bonnie) [chiefly British], boss [slang], brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool [slang], corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope [slang], down [slang], dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous [slang], fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters (also gangbuster), gilt-edged (or gilt-edge), gone [slang], grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype [slang], immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous (or marvellous), neat, nifty, noble, number one (also No. 1), numero uno, out-of-sight [slang], par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat [slang], prime, primo [slang], prize, prizewinning, quality, radical [slang], righteous [slang], sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping [chiefly British], unsurpassed, wizard [chiefly British], wonderful

Words Related to mean

acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK (or okay), passable, satisfactory, tolerable

better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine

classical, standard, traditional

Phrases Synonymous with mean

out of this world, too much

Near Antonyms of mean

bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory

mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Antonyms of mean

atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched

7 showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect

he worked hard to escape the mean neighborhood of his youth

Synonyms of mean

beat-up, bombed-out, dilapidated, dog-eared, down-at-the-heels (or down-at-heel), dumpy, grungy, mangy, miserable, moth-eaten, neglected, ratty, run-down, scrubby, scruffy, seedy, shabby, sleazy, tacky, tatterdemalion, tatty, threadbare, timeworn, tumbledown

Words Related to mean

abandoned, unkept

desolate, forlorn, godforsaken

broken-down, decrepit, tired, worn-out

bedraggled, dingy, ragged, tattered

decaying, deteriorated, deteriorating, rackety, ramshackle, rattletrap, rickety, tumbledown

broken, damaged, destroyed, harmed, hurt, impaired, injured, ruined, wrecked

Phrases Synonymous with mean

gone to seed

Near Antonyms of mean

brand-new, fresh, new

cared-for, kept-up, maintained

mended, patched, rebuilt, reconstructed

smart, spiffy, spruce

8 arousing or deserving of oneʼs loathing and disgust

that was no mean stunt to pull off, especially with so little advance preparation

Synonyms of mean

cheap, contemptible, cruddy, deplorable, despicable, dirty, grubby, lame, lousy, nasty, paltry, pitiable, pitiful, ratty, scabby, scummy, scurvy, sneaking, sorry, wretched

Words Related to mean

abhorrent, abominable, condemnable, detestable, execrable, hateful, loathsome, odious

disgusting, reptilian, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, revulsive

discreditable, disgraceful, dishonorable, disreputable, ignominious, shameful

base, ignoble, low, shabby, sordid, squalid, vile

blamable, censurable, reprehensible, reproachable

cowardly, craven, dastardly

unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous

Near Antonyms of mean

high-minded, honest, honorable, noble, principled, redoubtable, reputable, right-minded, scrupulous, upright

ethical, good, moral, right, righteous, virtuous

Antonyms of mean

admirable, commendable, creditable, laudable, meritorious, praiseworthy

Synonym Discussion of mean

mean, ignoble, abject, sordid mean being below the normal standards of human decency and dignity. mean suggests small-mindedness, ill temper, or cupidity.