Meanings
nounmeanness (countable and uncountable, plural meannesses)
plural meannesses
- uncountableThe condition, or quality, of being mean (any of its definitions)
This figure is of a later date, by the meanness of the workmanship.
1705, J[oseph] Addison, “Florence”, in Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC - countableA mean act.
There are enough meannesses in everyone — ourselves included — to make for us a contemptible world, if we select the meannesses and let our minds dwell upon them.
1908, The World's Work, volume 16, page 10497
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
nounextreme stinginess
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian низост, подлост
- низост (nizost)the condition or quality of being mean
- подлост (podlost)the condition or quality of being mean
Dutch gemeenheid, gemene daad
- gemeenheidthe condition or quality of being mean
- gemene daada mean act
Esperanto malnoblaĵo
- malnoblaĵoa mean act
French radinerie, pingrerie
- radineriethe condition or quality of being mean
- pingreriethe condition or quality of being mean
- abjectiona mean act
German Gemeinheit, Fiesheit
- Gemeinheita mean act
- Fiesheita mean act
- gemeines Benehmena mean act
Greek αχρειότητα
- αχρειότητα (achreiótita)the condition or quality of being mean
Irish cneámhaireacht, suarachas
- cneámhaireachtthe condition or quality of being mean
- suarachasthe condition or quality of being mean
Italian grettezza, meschinità
- grettezzathe condition or quality of being mean
- meschinitàthe condition or quality of being mean
- taccagneriathe condition or quality of being mean
Japanese 卑劣, 下劣
- 卑劣 (hiretsu)the condition or quality of being mean
- 下劣 (geretsu)the condition or quality of being mean
Latvian zemiskums
- zemiskumsthe condition or quality of being mean
Polish draństwo, nikczemność
- draństwothe condition or quality of being mean
- nikczemnośćthe condition or quality of being mean
- podłośćthe condition or quality of being mean
Spanish tacañería
- tacañeríathe condition or quality of being mean
Cite this entry
APA
meanness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meanness
MLA
“meanness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meanness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “meanness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meanness.
Source: meanness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.