meanly

¹

[ meen-lee ]

See synonyms for meanly on Thesaurus.com

adverb

in a poor, lowly, or humble manner.
in a base, contemptible, selfish, or shabby manner.

in a stingy or miserly manner.

Origin of meanly

¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, meanly is from the Middle English word meneli.See mean², -ly

Words Nearby meanly

Other definitions for meanly (2 of 2)

meanly²

[ meen-lee ]

adverbObsolete.

moderately.

Origin of meanly

²

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at mean³, -ly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use meanly in a sentence

Second, we have in Barack Obama a president who values Britain as meanly as he might Arizona.
10 Truths About the British Vote | Tunku Varadarajan | May 5, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
meanly concerned only with his own safety, and willing to resort to lying, in order to escape responsibility.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
It outrages me that even a bourgeois should so meanly misjudge the aspirations of an active revolutionist.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
I used to think meanly of the plumber; but how he shines beside the politician!
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson
He knew by heart a meanly written Roman History, and no passage in Corneille could hold an invincible word.
Sinister Street, vol. 1 | Compton Mackenzie

And with this he confessed to a distinct feeling of littleness, of having acted meanly or unworthily of himself or of her.
Gallegher and Other Stories | Richard Harding Davis

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