Word.ws English Dictionary

meanest

meanest is the superlative form of mean.

meanest is the second-person singular simple present indicative of mean.

Meaning of mean

Adjective

mean (comparative meaner, superlative meanest)

  1. (obsolete) Common; general.
  2. (archaic) Of a common or low origin, grade, or quality; common; humble.
    • a man of mean parentage
  3. Low in quality or degree; inferior; poor; shabby.
    • a mean appearance
  4. Without dignity of mind; destitute of honour; low-minded; spiritless; base.
    • You hurt her feelings - that was a mean thing to do.
    Antonyms:
    lofty, noble, honorable
  5. Of little value or worth; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable.
    • The Roman legions and great Caesar found / Our fathers no mean foes.1708, [John Philips], “(please specify the page)”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC
  6. (UK) Ungenerous; stingy; tight-fisted.
    • He's so mean. I've never seen him spend so much as five pounds on presents for his children.
    Synonyms:
    as tight as Dick's hatband, cheap, cheeseparing, chintzy, close, close as wax, close-fisted, illiberal, miserable, miserly

See all 32 meanings of mean

Forms of meanest

alternative formmean'st

Phrases with meanest

Questions about meanest

What is meanest the superlative form of?
Meanest is the superlative form of mean.

Words near meanest in the dictionary

  1. meaned
  2. meaner
  3. meaners
  4. meanes
  5. meaness
  6. meanest
  7. meaneth
  8. Meaney
  9. Meaneys
  10. meanfem
  11. meanfems

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: meanest (page history and authors); mean (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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