Synonyms for mean
88 synonyms for “mean”, grouped by meaning. Dark green words mean nearly the same thing; light green ones are close in some uses.
Mean as in “nasty”
adjective: characterized by malice
- slight
- bad
- nasty
- lousy
- cheap
- sad
- punk
- wretched
- pathetic
- unkind
- slim
- spell
- vile
- petty
- contemptible
- low
- hateful
- dirty
- shoddy
- cruel
- inferior
- trashy
- crummy
- disgusting
- malicious
- obnoxious
- awful
- harsh
- despicable
- wicked
- bum
- ugly
- unpleasant
- shit
- woeful
- chintzy
- cheesy
Mean as in “signify”
verb: mean or intend to express or convey
- signify
- intend
- imply
- indicate
- entail
- keen
- represent
- convey
- denote
- lament
- sorrow
Mean as in “tight”
adjective: (used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
- tight
- miserly
- stingy
- miserable
- shabby
- ignoble
- ungenerous
- swear
- close
- unimportant
- niggardly
- parsimonious
- penny-pinching
- penurious
- mingy
- cheeseparing
- penny-wise
Mean as in “think”
verb: have in mind as a purpose
- think
- hint
- suggest
- purpose
- difficult
- argue
- simple
- sorry
- cause
- determine
- suppose
- excellent
Mean as in “average”
adjective: approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
- average
- base
- normal
- involve
- affect
- import
- limited
Mean as in “poor”
adjective: marked by poverty befitting a beggar
- poor
- beggarly
- indifferent
- abject
Can you name more synonyms for mean?
Synonym Showdown is a free word game: take turns naming synonyms, and call out anyone who’s bluffing. Play friends with a room code, go ranked, or race the clock in Score Attack.
Play now