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MEANING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The idea that is intended
Example:
What is the meaning of this proverb?
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("meaning" is a kind of...):
idea; thought (the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "meaning"):
semantics (the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or text)
implication; import; significance (a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred)
strain; tenor (the general meaning or substance of an utterance)
undercurrent; undertone (a subdued emotional quality underlying an utterance; implicit meaning)
denotation; extension; reference (the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to)
reference (the relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to)
connotation (an idea that is implied or suggested)
Derivation:
mean (denote or connote)
mean (mean or intend to express or convey)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The message that is intended or expressed or signified
Example:
the import of his announcement was ambiguous
Synonyms:
import; meaning; significance; signification
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("meaning" is a kind of...):
content; message; subject matter; substance (what a communication that is about something is about)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "meaning"):
point (a brief version of the essential meaning of something)
overtone ((usually plural) an ulterior implicit meaning or quality)
nicety; nuance; refinement; shade; subtlety (a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude)
lesson; moral (the significance of a story or event)
intent; purport; spirit (the intended meaning of a communication)
burden; core; effect; essence; gist (the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work)
referent (something referred to; the object of a reference)
connotation; intension (what you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression)
sense; signified (the meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted)
symbolisation; symbolization (the use of symbols to convey meaning)
grammatical meaning (the meaning of a word that depends on its role in a sentence; varies with inflectional form)
lexical meaning (the meaning of a content word that depends on the nonlinguistic concepts it is used to express)
Derivation:
mean (denote or connote)
mean (mean or intend to express or convey)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Rich in significance or implication
Example:
a significant silence
Synonyms:
meaning; pregnant; significant
Classified under:
Similar:
meaningful (having a meaning or purpose)
III. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb mean
Context examples:
Martin knew immediately the meaning of it.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
A reference source that provides meanings of words related to drugs.
(Drug Dictionary, NCI Thesaurus)
An attribute that defines the meaning and purpose of a clinical study activity relationship instance.
(Clinical Study Activity Relationship Type, NCI Thesaurus)
A name given to a reference source that lists words and gives their meaning.
(CDISC SDTM Dictionary Name Terminology, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)
She meant it kindly, but Amy mistook her meaning, and said quickly...
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Similarly, when they suppressed DUSP26 activity in mice, beta cells became healthier, meaning they could better secrete insulin.
(New Potential Approach Found to Type 2 Diabetes Treatment, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
This is called a spin-orbit resonance, meaning the moon's rotation, or spin, is in sync with its orbit around Saturn.
(Saturn Moon May Hide a 'Fossil' Core or an Ocean, NASA)
“Put my meaning into any words you like,” said I. “You know what it is, Uriah, as well as I do.”
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Mercury is retrograde, so don’t make a final, binding agreement just yet—do so on March 11, a wonderful day when Jupiter and the Sun will be sextile, meaning in an opportunity aspect.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
Then he ran after him with the knife still in his hand, crying: “Just one, just one,” meaning that the guest should leave him just one chicken, and not take both.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
