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单词 mean
释义
mean
(once / 9 pages)
1v 2v 3v 4nadj 5adj 6adj 7adj

If you got a fortune cookie with the message "Your future will contain many bananas," you might ask, "What on earth does that mean?" In other words, you wonder what the intention or meaning of the fortune might be.
Mean is one of those ordinary, everyday words with lots of different meanings. The adjective mean can describe someone who's stingy or ungenerous, but it also means "unkind or unfair," which is what a little kid intends to convey when she yells at her mother, "You're mean!" In the sentence, "She lived in a mean little house," mean has yet another meaning, this time being "shabby or poor."
CHOOSE YOUR WORDS
mean / median / average

Wordsmiths sometimes dislike numbers, or at least have a hard time grasping them. These words offer us an opportunity to better understand numbers and use their terms more precisely in writing and speaking.

Let's say we have a set of numbers:

  • 11
  • 23
  • 30
  • 47
  • 56

The mean, sometimes called the arithmetic mean, of this set is 33. The mean is the sum of all the numbers in the set (167) divided by the amount of numbers in the set (5).

The median is the middle point of a number set, in which half the numbers are above the median and half are below. In our set above, the median is 30. But what if your number set has an even number of, er, numbers:

  • 11
  • 23
  • 30
  • 47
  • 52
  • 56

To calculate the median here, add the two middle numbers (30 + 47) and divide by 2. The median for our new list is 38.5.

So far, so good. But what about average? The average of a set of numbers is the same as its mean; they're synonyms.

Let's see our terms in action:

Performance is calculated by the arithmetic mean of the returns in an equally weighted portfolio of individual stocks, on a quarterly basis.

The median single-family homeowner in town will pay $175 more in property taxes this year.

Average retail gas prices in California fell 1.3 cents in the last week, putting the average tank of gas at $3.13 per gallon.

While we wordy types may still struggle to understand what an "equally weighted portfolio" is, wonder whether we are median single-family homeowners, or continue to look for lower-than-average gas prices, at least we know how the mean, median, and average were calculated.

WORD FAMILY
mean: meaner, meanest, meaning, meaningly, meanly, meanness, means, meant+/meaning: meaningful, meaningless, meanings/meaningful: meaningfully, meaningfulness, nonmeaningful/meaningless: meaninglessly, meaninglessness/meanness: meannesses
USAGE EXAMPLES
“You mean you drove yourself here?” she exclaims, wide-eyed.
Washington Post(Dec 29, 2016)
However, our modern, sedentary lifestyles mean that our secondary hearts tend to weaken, which permits excessive fluid pooling into the lower body.
Washington Post(Dec 29, 2016)
Such as, to borrow your excellent concept, “What does that even mean?”
Washington Post(Dec 30, 2016)
1
v denote or connote
`maison' means `house' in French
An example sentence would show what this word means
Syn|Hypo
intend, signify, stand for
signify
convey or express a meaning
denote, refer
have as a meaning
convolute, pervert, sophisticate, twist, twist around
practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive
euphemise, euphemize
refer to something with a euphemism
come back, hark back, recall, return
go back to something earlier
identify, name
give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property
apply
refer (a word or name) to a person or thing
slur
speak disparagingly of; e.g., make a racial slur
express, state
indicate through a symbol, formula, etc.
2
1v have in mind as a purpose
I mean no harm
I only meant to help you
Syn|Hypo
intend, think
design
intend or have as a purpose
be after, plan
have the will and intention to carry out some action
aim, propose, purport, purpose
propose or intend
think out
consider carefully and rationally
aim, aspire, draw a bead on, shoot for
have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal
go for, hope
intend with some possibility of fulfilment
2v destine or designate for a certain purpose
These flowers were meant for you
Hyper
designate, destine, intend, specify
design or destine
3v mean or intend to express or convey
You never understand what I mean!
Syn|Hypo|Hyper
intend
represent, stand for, symbolise, symbolize, typify
express indirectly by an image, form, or model; be a symbol
signify
convey or express a meaning
import, spell
indicate or signify
aim
direct (a remark) toward an intended goal
aim, drive, get
move into a desired direction of discourse
be, embody, personify
represent, as of a character on stage
epitomise, epitomize, typify
embody the essential characteristics of or be a typical example of
convey
make known; pass on, of information
4v intend to refer to
Yes, I meant you when I complained about people who gossip!
Syn|Hypo|Hyper
have in mind, think of
advert, bring up, cite, mention, name, refer
make reference to
commend, remember
mention as by way of greeting or to indicate friendship
speak of the devil
mention someone's name who just then appears
remember
mention favorably, as in prayer
cite, quote
refer to for illustration or proof
touch on
refer to or discuss briefly
appeal, invoke
cite as an authority; resort to
namedrop
refer to people that one assumes one's interlocutors admire in order to try to impress them
bring up, raise
put forward for consideration or discussion
drag up, dredge up
mention something unpleasant from the past
cross-refer
refer from one entry to another, as in catalogues, books, and lists
associate, colligate, connect, link, link up, relate, tie in
make a logical or causal connection
3
1v have as a logical consequence
The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers
Syn|Hyper
entail, imply
necessitate
cause to be a concomitant
2v have a specified degree of importance
My ex-husband means nothing to me
Happiness means everything
4
1n an average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n
Syn|Hypo|Hyper
mean value
arithmetic mean, expectation, expected value, first moment
the sum of the values of a random variable divided by the number of values
geometric mean
the mean of n numbers expressed as the n-th root of their product
harmonic mean
the mean of n numbers expressed as the reciprocal of the arithmetic mean of the reciprocals of the numbers
average, norm
a statistic describing the location of a distribution
2adj approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
the mean annual rainfall
Syn
average
normal
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal
5
1adj (used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
a mean person
Syn
mingy, miserly, tight
stingy, ungenerous
unwilling to spend
2adj (used of sums of money) so small in amount as to deserve contempt
Syn
beggarly
stingy, ungenerous
unwilling to spend
3adj of no value or worth
Syn
bastardly
contemptible
deserving of contempt or scorn
4adj marked by poverty befitting a beggar
a mean hut
Syn
beggarly
poor
characterized by or indicating poverty
6
1adj characterized by malice
in a mean mood
Syn
hateful
awful, nasty
offensive or even (of persons) malicious
2adj having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality
taking a mean advantage
"chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort"- Shakespeare
Syn
base, meanspirited
ignoble
completely lacking nobility in character or quality or purpose
7
adj excellent
famous for a mean backhand
Syn
skilled
having or showing or requiring special skill
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更新时间:2024/12/23 4:14:07