by no means

mean ¹  (mn)

v. meant (mnt), mean·ing, means

v.tr.

1.

a. To be used to convey; denote: "'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things'" (Lewis Carroll).

b. To act as a symbol of; signify or represent: In this poem, the budding flower means youth.

2. To intend to convey or indicate: "No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous" (Henry Adams).

3. To have as a purpose or an intention; intend: I meant to go running this morning, but I overslept.

4. To design, intend, or destine for a certain purpose or end: a building that was meant for storage; a student who was meant to be a scientist.

5. To have as a consequence; bring about: Friction means heat.

6. To have the importance or value of: The opinions of the critics meant nothing to him. She meant so much to me.

v.intr.

To have intentions of a specified kind; be disposed: They mean well but lack tact.

Idiom:

mean business Informal

To be in earnest.

---

[Middle English menen, from Old English mnan, to tell of; see mei-no- in Indo-European roots.]

---

mean ²  (mn)

adj. mean·er, mean·est

1.

a. Selfish in a petty way; unkind.

b. Cruel, spiteful, or malicious.

2. Ignoble; base: a mean motive.

3. Miserly; stingy.

4.

a. Low in quality or grade; inferior.

b. Low in value or amount; paltry: paid no mean amount for the new shoes.

5. Common or poor in appearance; shabby: "The rowhouses had been darkened by the rain and looked meaner and grimmer than ever" (Anne Tyler).

6. Low in social status; of humble origins.

7. Humiliated or ashamed.

8. In poor physical condition; sick or debilitated.

9. Extremely unpleasant or disagreeable: The meanest storm in years.

10. Informal Ill-tempered.

11. Slang

a. Hard to cope with; difficult or troublesome: He throws a mean fast ball.

b. Excellent; skillful: She plays a mean game of bridge.

---

[Middle English, from Old English gemne, common; see mei-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: mean², low¹, base², abject, ignoble, sordid
These adjectives mean lacking in dignity or falling short of the standards befitting humans. Mean suggests pettiness, spite, or niggardliness: "Never ascribe to an opponent motives meaner than your own" (J.M. Barrie).
Something low violates standards of morality, ethics, or propriety: low cunning; a low trick.
Base suggests a contemptible, mean-spirited, or selfish lack of human decency: "that liberal obedience, without which your army would be a base rabble" (Edmund Burke).
Abject means brought low in condition: abject submission; abject poverty.
Ignoble means lacking noble qualities, such as elevated moral character: "For my part I think it a less evil that some criminals should escape than that the government should play an ignoble part" (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.)
Sordid suggests foul, repulsive degradation: "It is through art . . . that we can shield ourselves from the sordid perils of actual existence" (Oscar Wilde).

---

mean ³  (mn)

n.

1. Something having a position, quality, or condition midway between extremes; a medium.

2. Mathematics

a. A number that typifies a set of numbers, such as a geometric mean or an arithmetic mean.

b. The average value of a set of numbers.

3. Logic The middle term in a syllogism.

4. means (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A method, a course of action, or an instrument by which an act can be accomplished or an end achieved.

5. means (used with a pl. verb)

a. Money, property, or other wealth: You ought to live within your means.

b. Great wealth: a woman of means.

adj.

1. Occupying a middle or intermediate position between two extremes.

2. Intermediate in size, extent, quality, time, or degree; medium.

Idioms:

by all means

Without fail; certainly.

by any means

In any way possible; to any extent: not by any means an easy opponent.

by means of

With the use of; owing to: They succeeded by means of patience and sacrifice.

by no means

In no sense; certainly not: This remark by no means should be taken lightly.

---

[Middle English mene, middle, from Old French meien, from Latin medinus, from medius; see medhyo- in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: In the sense of "financial resources" means takes a plural verb: His means are more than adequate. In the sense of "a way to an end," means may be treated as either a singular or plural. It is singular when referring to a particular strategy or method: The best means of securing the cooperation of the builders is to appeal to their self-interest. It is plural when it refers to a group of strategies or methods: The most effective means for dealing with the drug problem have generally been those suggested by the affected communities. · Means is most often followed by of: a means of noise reduction. But for, to, and toward are also used: a means for transmitting sound; a means to an end; a means toward achieving equality.

Thesaurus

Adv.

1.

by no means - definitely not; "the prize is by no means certain"; "and that isn't all, not by a long sight" not by a blame sight, not by a long sight colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech by all means - definitely or certainly; "Visit us by all means"