mean

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

I

adj. humble; ignoble; in-significant; stingy, miserly; sor-did, niggardly. See parsimony, servility, badness.

II

Midway

Nouns — mean, medium; average, normal, rule, balance; mediocrity, generality; golden mean, middle course, middle compromise, neutrality, moderation, middle of the road. Informal, fence-sitting. See middle.

Verbs — split the difference, reduce to a mean, strike a balance, pair off; average, divide; take a middle course.

Adjectives — mean, intermediate, middle, medial, medium, average, mediocre, middle-class, commonplace, normal; median.

Adverbs — on the average, in the long run, taking all things together, in round numbers.

Quotations — We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run over (Aneurin Bevan), You will go most safely in the middle (Ovid).

Antonyms, see inferiority, superiority, beginning, end.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Small-minded]

Syn. base, ignoble, low, small-minded, petty, contemptible, degrading, sordid, mean-spirited, dishonorable, discreditable, unworthy, selfish, debased, degraded, ignominious, shabby, scurvy, crummy*, lowdown*.

2. [Of low estate]

Syn. abject, pitiful, shabby; see humble 2 .

3. [Vicious]

Syn. spiteful, vicious, malicious, cruel, unkind, nasty, offensive, vile, shameless, dishonorable, malign, evil, infamous, treacherous, sneaking, crooked, fraudulent, unscrupulous, deceitful, villainous, blackguard, faithless, ill-tempered, bad-tempered, cantankerous, ornery*, disagreeable, unaccommodating, despicable, odious, scurrilous, perfidious, knavish, rotten*, hard as nails*.

4. [Stingy]

Syn. miserly, niggardly, rapacious; see greedy 1 , stingy .

5. [Average]

Syn. mediocre, middling, halfway; see common 1 , conventional 1 , popular 3 , traditional 2 .

n.

Syn. average, middle, median, midpoint; see average , center 1 .

See Synonym Study at average . v.

1. [To have as meaning]

Syn. indicate, spell, denote, signify, betoken, import, add up, determine, symbolize, imply, involve, allude, speak of, touch on, stand for, drive at, point to, connote, suggest, express, designate, intimate, tell the meaning of, purport.

2. [To have in mind]

Syn. anticipate, propose, expect; see intend 1 .

3. [To design for]

Syn. destine for, aim at, set apart; see intend 2 .

See Synonym Study at intend .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

average, norm, happy medium, par, middle, rule, median.

ANT.: extreme

II

v.

1. have in mind intend, plan, think of, expect, propose, aim, anticipate, want.

2. signify denote, indicate, designate, stand for, represent, symbolize, express, imply.

III

a.

1. nasty unpleasant, obnoxious, cruel, vicious, hurtful, rude, malicious, *dirty, rotten, rough, sour, unkind, contemptible, hostile, insulting, petty, ignoble, spiteful, brutal.

2. stingy miserly, cheap, penny-pinching, ungenerous, tight, parsimonious, grudging, niggardly.

3. poor shabby, low, second-rate, humble, modest, squalid, paltry, mediocre, menial, small.

4. average normal, medium, middle, median, mid, intermediate.

ANT.: 1. noble, nice, kind. 2. generous, giving. 3. rich, first-rate, superior

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective Not extreme: central, intermediate, medial, median, mid, middle, middle-of-the-road, midway. See EDGE.

V

(Roget's Thesaurus II) verb 1. To have or convey a particular idea: connote, denote, import, intend, signify, spell1. Idiom: add up to. See MEANING. 2. To have in mind as a goal or purpose: aim, contemplate, design, intend, plan, project, propose, purpose, target. Regional: mind. See PLANNED, PURPOSE.

VI

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Characterized by intense ill will or spite: black, despiteful, evil, hateful, malevolent, malicious, malign, malignant, nasty, poisonous, spiteful, venomous, vicious, wicked. Slang: bitchy. See ATTITUDE. 2. Having or proceeding from low moral standards: base2, ignoble, low, low-down, sordid, squalid, vile. See RIGHT. 3. Ungenerously or pettily reluctant to spend money: cheap, close, close-fisted, costive, hard-fisted, miserly, niggard, niggardly, parsimonious, penny-pinching, penurious, petty, pinching, stingy, tight, tightfisted. See GIVE. 4. Of low or lower quality: common, inferior, low-grade, low-quality, mediocre, second-class, second-rate, shabby, substandard. See BETTER. 5. Of little distinction: humble, lowly, simple. See PLAIN. 6. Lacking high station or birth: baseborn, common, declasse, declassed, humble, ignoble, lowly, plebeian, unwashed, vulgar. Archaic: base2. See OVER. 7. Affected or tending to be affected with minor health problems: ailing, indisposed, low, off-color, rocky, sickly. Idiom: under the weather. See HEALTH. 8. So objectionable as to elicit despisal or deserve condemnation: abhorrent, abominable, antipathetic, contemptible, despicable, despisable, detestable, disgusting, filthy, foul, infamous, loathsome, lousy, low, nasty, nefarious, obnoxious, odious, repugnant, rotten, shabby, vile, wretched. See GOOD. 9. Informal. Having or showing a bad temper: bad-tempered, cantankerous, crabbed, cranky, cross, disagreeable, fretful, grouchy, grumpy, ill-tempered, irascible, irritable, nasty, peevish, petulant, querulous, snappish, snappy, surly, testy, ugly, waspish. Informal: crabby. Idiom: out of sorts. See ATTITUDE. 10. Slang. Hard to treat, manage, or cope with: troublesome, wicked. Informal: pesky. See EASY.

VII

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. Something, as a type, number, quantity, or degree, that represents a midpoint between extremes on a scale of valuation: average, median, medium, norm, par. See USUAL. 2. That by which something is accomplished or some end achieved. Used in plural: agency, agent, instrument, instrumentality, instrumentation, intermediary, mechanism, medium, organ. See MEANS. 3. All things, such as money, property, or goods, having economic value. Used in plural: asset (used in plural), capital, fortune, resource (used in plural), wealth, wherewithal. See OWNED.