meanness
Variant of mean
mean (mēn)
transitive verb meant (ment), meaning mean′·ing
- to have in mind; intend; purpose he means to go
- to intend or design for a certain person or purpose a gift meant for you
- to destine or seem to destine he was meant to be a doctor
- to intend to express, signify, or indicate to say what one means
- to be used to convey; denote the German word “ja” means “yes”
- to be a sign, indication, or herald of; signify this means war!
Etymology: ME menen < OE mænan, to mean, tell, complain, akin to Ger meinen, to have in mind, have as opinion < IE base *meino-, opinion, intent > OIr mian, wish, desire
intransitive verb
- to have a purpose or intention in mind: chiefly in mean well, to have good intentions
- to have a (specified) degree of importance, effect, or influence honors mean little to him
mean well by
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
meanness
n.
The quality of being mean
smallmindedness, baseness, lowness, pettiness, wickedness, debasement, degradation, abjection, shamelessness, infamy, degeneracy, blackguardism, knavishness, unscrupulousness, stinginess, closeness, niggardliness, frugality, churlishness, corruptness, cupidity, sordidness, contemptibleness, disrepute, rapacity, malice, iniquity, malignity, unworthiness, ill-temper, unkindness, covetousness, avarice, miserliness, parsimony; see also greed.Antonyms
generosity*, nobility*, worthiness. A mean action
belittling, defaming, groveling, cheating, sneaking, quarreling, scolding, taking advantage of, deceiving, coveting, grudging, grasping, dishonoring, defrauding, perjuring, shaming, degrading, beggaring, stealing.
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A land of meanness, sophistry and mist.
The vice of meanness, condemned in every other country, is in Scotland translated into a virtue called 'thrift'.
Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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"meanness." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/meanness>
APA Style
meanness. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/meanness

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