| 释义 |
meanness
mean 1 M0179600 (mēn)v. meant (mĕnt), mean·ing, means v.tr.1. a. To be used to convey; denote: "'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things'" (Lewis Carroll).b. To act as a symbol of; signify or represent: In this poem, the budding flower means youth.2. To intend to convey or indicate: "No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous" (Henry Adams).3. To have as a purpose or an intention; intend: I meant to go running this morning, but I overslept.4. To design, intend, or destine for a certain purpose or end: a building that was meant for storage; a student who was meant to be a scientist.5. To have as a consequence; bring about: Friction means heat.6. To have the importance or value of: The opinions of the critics meant nothing to him. She meant so much to me.v.intr. To have intentions of a specified kind; be disposed: They mean well but lack tact.Idiom: mean business Informal To be in earnest.
[Middle English menen, from Old English mǣnan, to tell of; see mei-no- in Indo-European roots.]
mean 2 M0179600 (mēn)adj. mean·er, mean·est 1. a. Lacking in kindness; unkind: The teacher was not being mean in asking you to be quiet.b. Cruel, spiteful, or malicious: a mean boy who liked to make fun of others.c. Expressing spite or malice: gave me a mean look.d. Tending toward or characterized by cruelty or violence: mean streets.e. Extremely unpleasant or disagreeable: the meanest storm in years.2. Ignoble; base: a mean motive. See Synonyms at base2.3. Miserly; stingy: mean with money.4. a. Low in value, rank, or social status: "I preferred the condition of the meanest reptile to my own" (Frederick Douglass).b. Common or poor in appearance; shabby: "The rowhouses had been darkened by the rain and looked meaner and grimmer than ever" (Anne Tyler).5. Slang a. Hard to cope with; difficult or troublesome: He throws a mean fast ball.b. Excellent; skillful: She plays a mean game of bridge.
[Middle English, from Old English gemǣne, common; see mei- in Indo-European roots.]
mean′ness n.
mean 3 M0179600 (mēn)n.1. Something having a position, quality, or condition midway between extremes; a medium.2. Mathematics a. A number that typifies a set of numbers, such as a geometric mean or an arithmetic mean.b. The average value of a set of numbers.3. Logic The middle term in a syllogism.4. means(used with a sing. or pl. verb) A method, a course of action, or an instrument by which an act can be accomplished or an end achieved.5. means(used with a pl. verb)a. Money, property, or other wealth: You ought to live within your means.b. Great wealth: a woman of means.adj.1. Occupying a middle or intermediate position between two extremes.2. Intermediate in size, extent, quality, time, or degree; medium.Idioms: by all means Without fail; certainly. by any means In any way possible; to any extent: not by any means an easy opponent. by means of With the use of; owing to: They succeeded by means of patience and sacrifice. by no means In no sense; certainly not: This remark by no means should be taken lightly.
[Middle English mene, middle, from Old French meien, from Latin mediānus, from medius; see medhyo- in Indo-European roots.]Usage Note: In the sense of "financial resources" means takes a plural verb: His means are more than adequate. In the sense of "a way to an end," means may be treated as a singular or plural. It is singular when referring to a particular strategy or method: The best means of securing the cooperation of the builders is to appeal to their self-interest. It is plural when it refers to a group of strategies or methods: The most effective means for dealing with the drug problem have often been those suggested by the affected communities. · Means is most often followed by of: a means of noise reduction. But for, to, and toward are also used: a means for transmitting sound; a means to an end; a means toward achieving equality.meannessThe following adjectives can also be used in both British and American English to describe someone who does not spend much money: | economical | frugal | miserly | parsimonious | penny-pinching | | stingy | thrifty | tight | tight-fisted | |
1. neutral wordsEconomical and frugal are neutral words. Spaghetti, ravioli, and noodles have for years been the staple dishes of economical Italian countryfolk.Make some stringent economies, be as frugal as a monk.2. 'thrifty'Thrifty is a complimentary word. The people were industrious and very thrifty.3. words shoing disapprovalMiserly, parsimonious, penny-pinching, stingy, tight, and tight-fisted are used to show disapproval. Parsimonious is a formal word. He was a bit showy with money and overtipped for fear of being thought stingy.At home he was churlish, parsimonious, and unloving to his daughters.Penny-pinching is used mainly by journalists and public speakers. He said the Government's penny-pinching policies were causing loss of life.Thesaurus| Noun | 1. |  meanness - the quality of being deliberately meanbeastlinessmalevolency, malice, malevolence - the quality of threatening evil | | 2. |  meanness - extreme stinginess minginess, niggardliness, niggardness, tightfistedness, parsimoniousness, parsimony, tightness, closenessstinginess - a lack of generosity; a general unwillingness to part with moneylittleness, pettiness, smallness - lack of generosity in trifling mattersmiserliness - total lack of generosity with money |
meannessnoun1. miserliness, parsimony, stinginess, tight-fistedness, niggardliness, selfishness, minginess (Brit. informal), penuriousness This careful attitude to money can border on meanness.2. pettiness, degradation, degeneracy, wretchedness, narrow-mindedness, shabbiness, baseness, vileness, sordidness, shamefulness, scurviness, abjectness, low-mindedness, ignobility, despicableness, disgracefulness, dishonourableness Their meanness of spirit is embarrassing.3. malice, hostility, bad temper, rudeness, nastiness, unpleasantness, ill temper, sourness, unfriendliness, maliciousness, cantankerousness, churlishness, disagreeableness There was always a certain amount of cruelty, meanness and villainy.4. shabbiness, squalor, insignificance, pettiness, wretchedness, seediness, tawdriness, sordidness, scruffiness, humbleness, poorness, paltriness, beggarliness, contemptibleness the meanness of our surroundingsProverbs
"Do not spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar"meannessnounA desire to harm others or to see others suffer:despitefulness, ill will, malevolence, malice, maliciousness, malignancy, malignity, nastiness, poisonousness, spite, spitefulness, venomousness, viciousness.Translationsmean1 (miːn) adjective1. not generous (with money etc). He's very mean (with his money / over pay). 吝嗇的 吝啬的2. likely or intending to cause harm or annoyance. It is mean to tell lies. 惡意的 恶意的，不善良的 3. (especially American) bad-tempered, vicious or cruel. a mean mood. (尤在美國)暴躁的 要发怒的，要发狂的 4. (of a house etc) of poor quality; humble. a mean dwelling. 簡陋的 简陋的ˈmeanly adverb 吝嗇地，惡意地，不厚道 吝啬地，卑贱地，吝啬地 ˈmeanness noun 吝嗇，惡意，不厚道 吝啬，卑贱，恶意的行为 meanie noun (also meany) (slang) a mean, bad and selfish person. (俚語)自私鬼，(俚語)吝嗇鬼 刻薄鬼，吝啬鬼 EncyclopediaSeemeanLegalSeeMeanmeanness
Synonyms for meannessnoun miserlinessSynonyms- miserliness
- parsimony
- stinginess
- tight-fistedness
- niggardliness
- selfishness
- minginess
- penuriousness
noun pettinessSynonyms- pettiness
- degradation
- degeneracy
- wretchedness
- narrow-mindedness
- shabbiness
- baseness
- vileness
- sordidness
- shamefulness
- scurviness
- abjectness
- low-mindedness
- ignobility
- despicableness
- disgracefulness
- dishonourableness
noun maliceSynonyms- malice
- hostility
- bad temper
- rudeness
- nastiness
- unpleasantness
- ill temper
- sourness
- unfriendliness
- maliciousness
- cantankerousness
- churlishness
- disagreeableness
noun shabbinessSynonyms- shabbiness
- squalor
- insignificance
- pettiness
- wretchedness
- seediness
- tawdriness
- sordidness
- scruffiness
- humbleness
- poorness
- paltriness
- beggarliness
- contemptibleness
Synonyms for meannessnoun a desire to harm others or to see others sufferSynonyms- despitefulness
- ill will
- malevolence
- malice
- maliciousness
- malignancy
- malignity
- nastiness
- poisonousness
- spite
- spitefulness
- venomousness
- viciousness
Synonyms for meannessnoun the quality of being deliberately meanSynonymsRelated Words- malevolency
- malice
- malevolence
noun extreme stinginessSynonyms- minginess
- niggardliness
- niggardness
- tightfistedness
- parsimoniousness
- parsimony
- tightness
- closeness
Related Words- stinginess
- littleness
- pettiness
- smallness
- miserliness
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