mean

A2 · Elementary

v. to have something as a purpose or plan.

v. to intend to convey or do something; often used to clarify intentions after a misunderstanding.

“I did not mean to hurt your feelings when I made that joke.”

“The legislation was never meant to penalize small businesses, though its initial implementation caused significant confusion.”

B1 · Intermediate

v. to have value or importance to someone.

v. to be of a specified level of importance or significance to a person.

“Your friendship means a lot to me.”

“Winning the championship meant everything to the players after years of rigorous training and repeated failures.”

A2 · Elementary

adj. unkind or cruel to other people.

adj. behaving in an unkind, spiteful, or malicious manner.

“Don't be mean to your little brother; give him his toy back.”

“The supervisor had a reputation for being mean to new recruits, often criticizing their work in front of the entire team.”

B1 · Intermediate British English

adj. not wanting to spend money or give things to others.

adj. unwilling to give or spend; ungenerous. Primarily used in British English in this sense.

“He is very wealthy, but he is too mean to buy his friends a drink.”

“Despite his vast inheritance, he remained notoriously mean, refusing to donate even a small portion to the local charity.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

adj. very good at doing something.

adj. highly skillful or effective; often used in the phrase 'plays a mean...'.

“My grandmother makes a mean apple pie.”

“He might look quiet, but he plays a mean game of chess and rarely loses to anyone in the club.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Mathematics Technical

n. the middle value of a set of numbers.

n. the mathematical average found by adding several quantities together and dividing the sum by the number of quantities.

“To find the mean, add the test scores and divide by the number of students.”

“The statistical analysis focused on the arithmetic mean of the results to minimize the impact of a few extreme outliers.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Academic · Formal

n. a middle point between two extremes.

n. a middle state or condition between two extremes; often used in the context of 'the golden mean'.

“We need to find a happy mean between working too hard and being lazy.”

“Aristotle argued that virtue lies in the mean, avoiding the vices of both deficiency and excess in one's character.”