mean
869
2.2
- adjective
- /miːn/
- She can be really mean when she doesn't get her way.
- mean-spirited
- say mean things
- a mean look
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Watch on YouTubeHe was just a mean, tough old time guy.
- He was just a mean, tough old time guy.
- I think I do, but I'm really mean, like I am mean.
- I don't like mean people because they're mean.
- This really really mean guy named Slade.
- The world has become such a mean spirited place of late.
- For narcissists, life is just lifelong high school Mean Girls or mean guys.
- And my brother goes Amy gets mean when she's pregnant.
- Now I feel like you're being mean, But maybe you could let me.
- Just angry and mean and straight up ferocious.
- But at some point we decided bullying was mean because nerds had feelings.
- But even by saying you're mean to me, it's a personal thing.
- I thought he was a mean, mean dude and he was.
- And I knew that doing something super mean to her like that would show her.
- Constantly doesn't talk to me, is mean to his wife on video camera.
- Make the INS an agency that isn't mean, cruel, and indifferent.
- Man, she went through a, a mean girl.
- And I almost get like mean rather than a grateful.
Examples
-
That was pretty mean of us earlier.
-
-Why are you guys so mean to him?
-
I can be a little mean because I'm so stressed.
-
And I actually think it's mean to not be factual.
-
The world has become such a mean spirited place of late.
-
He's always been mean to me.
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I don't think he meant to be mean, though certainly he was mean.
Academic text (1990) -
I didn't understand why everyone was so mean to Hester Prynne, so I asked my mother.
Academic text (2015) -
It's surprising how mean he can be towards his friends during arguments.
-
Many children avoid that boy because he is often mean to others.
Synonyms
474
2.7
Willing to cause pain or suffering to others
296
2.8
Unkind and too strict in what someone says or does to others
83
5.8
Wanting to hurt someone or damage their good name
75
2.8
Causing pain to someone's feelings or making them feel upset
41
7.3
Not caring about other people's feelings or pain
41
1.0
Not friendly or caring to other people
22
1.9
Not kind or warm to other people
22
5.1
Wanting to hurt or upset someone on purpose
20
6.5
Showing little concern for other people's feelings
4
6.7
Not kind or generous and quick to judge others harshly
4
7.4
Mean and unfair in a way that hurts others
2
7.9
Very harsh and not forgiving when criticizing or acting
1
7.7
Harsh and unkind in the way someone acts
1
7.4
Unkind and petty in a way that hurts other people
1
6.7
Not showing kindness to other people
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
- Specialized
19
8.7
Time kept by an imaginary sun that moves evenly across the sky to set clocks
- Specialized
2
3.4
The average of numbers found by adding them and dividing by how many there are
- Specialized
1
8.1
A special ratio where the small part to the big part equals the big part to the whole
- Specialized
1
3.0
A number you get when you add numbers and divide by how many numbers there are
- Specialized
1
8.5
A very high or very low result usually comes before a result closer to the average
- Specialized
1
7.5
An average for rates found by dividing the number of values by the sum of 1 divided by each value
- Specialized
1
8.5
Average of the farthest and nearest distances of a planet or satellite from the body it orbits
- Specialized
1
7.4
An average of positive numbers found by multiplying them and taking the root for the number of items
- Specialized
1
6.0
An average that gives some numbers more importance using assigned values
- Specialized
1
8.0
Time kept by an imaginary sun moving at a steady speed used for standard clocks
- Specialized
1
6.3
Average time for Earth to turn once so the Sun appears in the same place, about 24 hours
- Specialized
1
9.9
An imaginary sun that moves at a steady speed across the sky to measure time
- Specialized
1
8.1
The average distance of each number from the group's average
- Specialized
A set of JavaScript tools for building web applications using MongoDB, Express, Angular and Node.js
- Specialized
An average where some numbers count more than others, for example when scores have different importance
- Specialized
A type of average where you replace the highest and lowest values with closer values before finding the average
How Mean
Surface Forms
Etymology
Mean began in old English as a word for 'common' or 'low', and from that idea it came to describe someone of low or base behaviour. That's why mean today can mean 'unkind' or 'cruel'.