mean
If you got a fortune cookie with the message “Your future will contain many bananas,” you might ask, “What on earth does that mean?” In other words, you wonder what the intention or meaning of the fortune might be.
Mean is one of those ordinary, everyday words with lots of different meanings. The adjective mean can describe someone who’s stingy or ungenerous, but it also means “unkind or unfair,” which is what a little kid intends to convey when she yells at her mother, “You’re mean!” In the sentence, “She lived in a mean little house,” mean has yet another meaning, this time being “shabby or poor.”
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denote or connote
“`maison’
means `house’ in French”“An example sentence would show what this word
means”-
signify
convey or express a meaning
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types:
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denote, refer
have as a meaning
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convolute, pervert, sophisticate, twist, twist around
practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive
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euphemise, euphemize
refer to something with a euphemism
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come back, hark back, recall, return
go back to something earlier
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identify, name
give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property
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apply
refer (a word or name) to a person or thing
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slur
speak disparagingly of; e.g., make a racial slur
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express, state
indicate through a symbol, formula, etc.
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signify
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have in mind as a purpose
“I
mean no harm”“I only
meant to help you”-
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design
intend or have as a purpose
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be after, plan
have the will and intention to carry out some action
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aim, propose, purport, purpose
propose or intend
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think out
consider carefully and rationally
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aim, aspire, draw a bead on, shoot for
have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal
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go for, hope
intend with some possibility of fulfilment
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destine or designate for a certain purpose
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mean or intend to express or convey
“You never understand what I
mean!”-
synonyms:
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represent, stand for, symbolise, symbolize, typify
express indirectly by an image, form, or model; be a symbol
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signify
convey or express a meaning
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import, spell
indicate or signify
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aim
direct (a remark) toward an intended goal
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aim, drive, get
move into a desired direction of discourse
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be, embody, personify
represent, as of a character on stage
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epitomise, epitomize, typify
embody the essential characteristics of or be a typical example of
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type of:
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convey
make known; pass on, of information
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intend to refer to
“Yes, I
meant you when I complained about people who gossip!”-
synonyms:
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advert, bring up, cite, mention, name, refer
make reference to
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commend, remember
mention as by way of greeting or to indicate friendship
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speak of the devil
mention someone’s name who just then appears
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remember
mention favorably, as in prayer
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cite, quote
refer to for illustration or proof
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touch on
refer to or discuss briefly
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appeal, invoke
cite as an authority; resort to
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namedrop
refer to people that one assumes one’s interlocutors admire in order to try to impress them
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bring up, raise
put forward for consideration or discussion
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drag up, dredge up
mention something unpleasant from the past
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cross-refer
refer from one entry to another, as in catalogues, books, and lists
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have as a logical consequence
“The water shortage
means that we have to stop taking long showers” -
have a specified degree of importance
“My ex-husband
means nothing to me”“Happiness
means everything” -
an average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n
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synonyms:
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types:
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arithmetic mean, expectation, expected value, first moment
the sum of the values of a random variable divided by the number of values
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geometric mean
the mean of n numbers expressed as the n-th root of their product
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harmonic mean
the mean of n numbers expressed as the reciprocal of the arithmetic mean of the reciprocals of the numbers
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arithmetic mean, expectation, expected value, first moment
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approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
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(used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
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(used of sums of money) so small in amount as to deserve contempt
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synonyms:
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stingy, ungenerous
unwilling to spend
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stingy, ungenerous
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of no value or worth
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synonyms:
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contemptible
deserving of contempt or scorn
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contemptible
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marked by poverty befitting a beggar
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characterized by malice
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having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality
“taking a
mean advantage”“”chok’d with ambition of the
meaner sort”- Shakespeare”-
synonyms:
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ignoble
completely lacking nobility in character or quality or purpose
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ignoble
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excellent
“famous for a
mean backhand”-
Synonyms:
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skilled
having or showing or requiring special skill
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skilled