meaning
[ mee-ning ]
/ ˈmi nɪŋ /
noun
what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated; signification; import: the three meanings of a word.
the end, purpose, or significance of something: What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of this intrusion?
Linguistics.
- the nonlinguistic cultural correlate, reference, or denotation of a linguistic form; expression.
- linguistic content (opposed to expression).
adjective
intentioned (usually used in combination): She's a well-meaning person.
full of significance; expressive: a meaning look.
SYNONYMS FOR meaning
1
tenor,
gist,
drift,
trend.
Meaning,
purport,
sense,
significance denote that which is expressed or indicated by something.
Meaning is the general word denoting that which is intended to be or actually is expressed or indicated:
the meaning of a word or glance.
Sense may be used to denote a particular meaning (among others) of a word or phrase:
The word is frequently used in this sense.
Sense may also be used loosely to refer to intelligible meaning:
There's no sense in what he says.
Significance refers particularly to a meaning that is implied rather than expressed:
the significance of her glance; or to a meaning the importance of which may not be easy to perceive immediately:
The real significance of his words was not grasped at the time.
Purport is mainly limited to the meaning of a formal document, speech, important conversation, etc., and refers to the gist of something fairly complicated:
the purport of your letter to the editor.
OTHER WORDS FROM meaning
mean·ing·ly, adverb mean·ing·ness, noun sub·mean·ing, noun un·der·mean·ing, nounWords nearby meaning
Definition for meaning (2 of 2)
mean
1
[ meen ]
/ min /
verb (used with object), meant, mean·ing.
verb (used without object), meant, mean·ing.
to be minded or disposed; have intentions: Beware, she means ill, despite her solicitous manner.
Origin of mean
1
before 900; Middle English
menen, Old English
mǣnan; cognate with German
meinen, Dutch
meenen
synonym study for mean
1. See
intend.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mean
mean mienExample sentences from the Web for meaning
British Dictionary definitions for meaning (1 of 4)
meaning
/ (ˈmiːnɪŋ) /
noun
the sense or significance of a word, sentence, symbol, etc; import; semantic or lexical content
the purpose underlying or intended by speech, action, etc
the inner, symbolic, or true interpretation, value, or message
the meaning of a dream
valid content; efficacy
a law with little or no meaning
philosophy
- the sense of an expression; its connotation
- the reference of an expression; its denotation. In recent philosophical writings meaning can be used in both the above sensesSee also sense (def. 12)
adjective
expressive of some sense, intention, criticism, etc
a meaning look
See also
well-meaning
British Dictionary definitions for meaning (2 of 4)
mean
1
/ (miːn) /
verb means, meaning or meant (mainly tr)
Word Origin for mean
Old English
mænan; compare Old Saxon
mēnian to intend, Dutch
meenen
usage for mean
In standard English,
mean should not be followed by
for when expressing intention:
I didn't mean this to happen (not
I didn't mean for this to happen)
British Dictionary definitions for meaning (3 of 4)
mean
2
/ (miːn) /
adjective
Derived forms of mean
meanly, adverb meanness, nounWord Origin for mean
C12: from Old English
gemǣne common; related to Old High German
gimeini, Latin
communis common, at first with no pejorative sense
British Dictionary definitions for meaning (4 of 4)
mean
3
/ (miːn) /
noun
the middle point, state, or course between limits or extremes
moderation
maths
- the second and third terms of a proportion, as b and c in a/b = c/d
- another name for average (def. 2) See also geometric mean
statistics
a statistic obtained by multiplying each possible value of a variable by its probability and then taking the sum or integral over the range of the variable
adjective
intermediate or medium in size, quantity, etc
occurring halfway between extremes or limits; average
See also
means
Word Origin for mean
C14: via Anglo-Norman from Old French
moien, from Late Latin
mediānus
median
Medical definitions for meaning
mean
[ mēn ]
n.
Something having a position, quality, or condition midway between extremes; a medium.
A number that typifies a set of numbers, such as a geometric mean or an arithmetic mean.
The average value of a set of numbers.
adj.
Occupying a middle or intermediate position between two extremes.
Intermediate in size, extent, quality, time, or degree; medium.
Scientific definitions for meaning
mean
[ mēn ]
A number or quantity having a value that is intermediate between other numbers or quantities, especially an arithmetic mean or average. See more at arithmetic mean.
Either the second or third term of a proportion of four terms. In the proportion 23 = 46, the means are 3 and 4. Compare extreme.
Cultural definitions for meaning (1 of 2)
Cultural definitions for meaning (2 of 2)
mean
In statistics, an average of a group of numbers or data points. With a group of numbers, the mean is obtained by adding them and dividing by the number of numbers in the group. Thus the mean of five, seven, and twelve is eight (twenty-four divided by three). (Compare median and mode.)
Idioms and Phrases with meaning
mean