Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb In a poor, lowly, or base manner.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a mean or middling manner or degree. Moderately.
  • Indifferently; poorly.
  • In a mean, low, or humble degree; basely.
  • With a low estimate; disrespectfully; contemptuously: as, to think or speak meanly of a person.
  • Common; general.
  • Moderate; mild.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb obsolete Moderately.
  • adverb In a mean manner; unworthily; basely; poorly; ungenerously.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb poorly or in an inferior manner
  • adverb in a nasty ill-tempered manner
  • adverb in a despicable, ignoble manner
  • adverb in a miserly manner

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From mean +‎ -ly.

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Examples

  • Here and now was his vindication, here at last the proof that he had not chosen his calling meanly, nor in all selfishness.

    The Brentons Anna Chapin Ray 1905

  • You cannot even afford to work at a level that supports one person rather meanly, which is what some young historians can do when they only support themselves and/or can rely on others to bail them out when their cars die on I-95 on the way to a poorly paid adjunct job.

    Tenured Radical 2010

  • First of all people wouldn't have to speak "meanly" about people if they had COMMON SENSE.

    WCAV - HomePage - Headlines 2009

  • A year earlier, in his State of the Union Address of 1862, Lincoln had warned the Congress of the United States of something that body already knew: that the nation was in danger of complete dissolution and that the government and the people alike would "nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope of earth."

    Richard T. Hughes: Echoes From Gettysburg: How We Can Save Our Country Richard T. Hughes 2011

  • I was sad, sad that a Catholic priest and religious, editor of what I assume is a respected Catholic publication, would so meanly rebuke another in obvious disregard for what that other had actually said on the matter.

    Religion 2009

  • I was sad, sad that a Catholic priest and religious, editor of what I assume is a respected Catholic publication, would so meanly rebuke another in obvious disregard for what that other had actually said on the matter.

    Politics 2009

  • I was sad, sad that a Catholic priest and religious, editor of what I assume is a respected Catholic publication, would so meanly rebuke another in obvious disregard for what that other had actually said on the matter.

    Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog: 2009

  • A year earlier, in his State of the Union Address of 1862, Lincoln had warned the Congress of the United States of something that body already knew: that the nation was in danger of complete dissolution and that the government and the people alike would "nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope of earth."

    Richard T. Hughes: Echoes From Gettysburg: How We Can Save Our Country Richard T. Hughes 2011

  • I was sad, sad that a Catholic priest and religious, editor of what I assume is a respected Catholic publication, would so meanly rebuke another in obvious disregard for what that other had actually said on the matter.

    Current Affairs 2009

  • I was sad, sad that a Catholic priest and religious, editor of what I assume is a respected Catholic publication, would so meanly rebuke another in obvious disregard for what that other had actually said on the matter.

    Bizarre 2009

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