"Mean" can have many different meanings, but when used as an adjective in a mathematical or statistical sense it means average. To provide further help, "forthright" means honest; "supreme" means best, greatest; "polarizing" means divisive, causing radically different opinions; "abundant" means existing in large quantities.

"Petty" means trivial, minor, insignificant. To provide further help, "incredible" means amazing and "unbelievable" means not believable. Interestingly "credible" means "believable." Here we can see how words change and evolve over time, when once "incredible" meant simply not believable, now it means something closer to amazing because it is barely believable. Additionally, "indelible" means a mark that cannot be removed; "untimely" means happening at the wrong time, happening too soon. 

Something that is described as "shoddy" is poorly made, of inferior quality. "Inferior" means not as good as, worse. To provide further help, "superior" means better than; "mediocre" means average in a bad way; "exemplary" means perfect, flawless, a perfect example of. 

"Sophisticated" is an adjective that can be used to describe either machinery, technology, or people. It means advanced, modern, not crude. To provide further help, "crude" means basic, lacking detail and sophistication; "unusual" means not normal; "standard" means normal, common; "intermediate" means middle, mid-way, transitional.

Whenever something is "exemplary," it is excellent. Indeed, the word itself can help us understand its meaning. An "exemplary" thing sets a very good example in some particular way. Thus, such a thing or person provides an "ideal." For example, an exemplary student is someone who is an ideal student whom others should imitate.

Whenever something is "inspiring," it leads others to want to do or feel something. For example, an inspiring song may make people feel like they can overcome any difficulty. An inspiring speech can make someone think that he or she is able to achieve any goal. Sometimes, something can inspire negative feelings as well—as when something "inspires fear." In all of these cases, the inspiration stimulates a feeling or ideal. Thus, something that is called "inspiring" can also be called "stimulating."

When ever someone or something is "despicable," it is something that you should despise. That is, it is something that you should hate very strongly. Now, the word "despicable" itself means this—deserving of great hatred. It might well be true that "criminal" things deserve great hatred; however, "criminal" is not synonymous with the basic meaning of "despicable." Therefore, the best option is "abhorrent." Something that is "abhorrent" is hated greatly. It causes a kind of "horror"—not in fright but, instead, in hatred. It is related to the verb "abhor," meaning to hate or find disgusting.

Whenever something or someone is "attractive," that thing (or person) draws your attention. An "attraction" is a kind of "pulling" that draws something closer. Sometimes, we use the word "attractive" to mean that something is tempting. For instance, consider the sentence, "That option was particularly attractive, and it was hard for Peter not to choose it." This means that the option was tempting for Peter.

Whenever something is "intricate," that thing is complicated. This can refer to an intricate gadget—something that has many complicated parts that are all related together in complicated ways. It can also refer to something like an intricate argument—that is, one that has many details that require a lot of thinking to understand.

The meaning of the word "distinguished" is related to the verb "to distinguish." Whenever we distinguish two things from each other, we express what is different about them. Each thing is unique and, hence, distinct. Whenever we describe a person as "distinguished," we are saying that he or she is different from other people. You can think of it like meaning that he or she "stands apart" from those others. Sometimes, senators will refer to each other by titles like, "The distinguished senator from Iowa," or "The distinguished woman from Kentucky." A prominent person is someone who is important and separated from the rest of "regular" people. Hence, "prominent" is a good synonym for "distinguished."