Mean crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “Mean” are THINK, TIGHT or AWFUL, with 5 letters. Below are 29 answers from 4 to 12 letters, best match first in each length, then what each top answer means and how to tell them apart.

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The best answers, explained

POOR 4 letters · adjective

deserving or inciting pity “Oh, you poor thing”

THINK 5 letters · verb

have in mind as a purpose “She didn't think to harm me”

NORMAL 6 letters · adjective

conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal “serve wine at normal room temperature”

AVERAGE 7 letters · adjective

approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value “the average income in New England is below that of the nation”

SUPERIOR 8 letters · adjective

of high or superior quality or performance “superior wisdom derived from experience”

EXCELLENT 9 letters · adjective

very good; of the highest quality “made an excellent speech”

CONTEMPTIBLE 12 letters · adjective

deserving of contempt or scorn

Telling them apart

With 5 squares, THINK, TIGHT, AWFUL, NASTY, IMPLY and MINGY all fit. The third letter tells them all apart: I → THINK · G → TIGHT · F → AWFUL · S → NASTY · P → IMPLY · N → MINGY. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 6 squares, NORMAL, INTEND, ENTAIL, STINGY, BADASS and SHABBY all fit. The fifth letter tells them all apart: A → NORMAL · N → INTEND · I → ENTAIL · G → STINGY · S → BADASS · B → SHABBY. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 7 squares, AVERAGE, RIPPING, HATEFUL, SIGNIFY, MISERLY and IGNOBLE all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: A → AVERAGE · R → RIPPING · H → HATEFUL · S → SIGNIFY · M → MISERLY · I → IGNOBLE. Fill in that crossing answer first.

Other forms of this clue

Clues often use another form of the word, and the answer then takes the same form: “meaning” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “mean” means

• adjective: approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value (“the mean annual rainfall”)
• adjective: characterized by malice (“in a mean mood”)
• adjective: having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality (“taking a mean advantage”)
• adjective: marked by poverty befitting a beggar (“a mean hut”)

A clue usually points at one of these senses, so the right answer is the one that matches the sense the puzzle means: check it against the crossing words.

About these answers

We match the clue against our own thesaurus and dictionary (Open English WordNet): words that mean the same as MEAN, and words whose definition is MEAN. We don't copy answers from newspaper puzzles, so a clue that leans on trivia or wordplay may need the crossing letters instead.