median 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of mediannext
1
as in average
being about midway between extremes of amount or size the median price of a home in the area

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in middle
occupying a position equally distant from the ends or extremes determine the median point between your two speakers, and test your stereo system from there

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

median

2 of 2

noun

as in normal

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word median distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of median are average, mean, and norm. While all these words mean "something that represents a middle point," median applies to the value that represents the point at which there are as many instances above as there are below.

average of a group of persons earning 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10 dollars an hour is 6 dollars, whereas the median is 5 dollars

When would average be a good substitute for median?

The meanings of average and median largely overlap; however, average is the quotient obtained by dividing the sum total of a set of figures by the number of figures.

scored an average of 85 on tests

When can mean be used instead of median?

The words mean and median can be used in similar contexts, but mean may be the simple average or it may represent value midway between two extremes.

a high of 70° and a low of 50° give a mean of 60°

When might norm be a better fit than median?

In some situations, the words norm and median are roughly equivalent. However, norm means the average of performance of a significantly large group, class, or grade.

scores about the norm for fifth grade arithmetic

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of median
Adjective
Older millennials have become the highest-earning, biggest-spending buyer segment in the housing market, with median household income of $132,700, largely leveraging home equity to trade up rather than buying for the first time. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 July 2026 An economic indicator like median wages does not capture the capacity of family budgets to accommodate additional price hikes. — ABC News, 25 July 2026
Noun
Younger millennials, meanwhile, are buying homes 500 square feet smaller with a median down payment of just 9%, compared to 13% for their older counterparts and 26% or more for boomers. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 July 2026 In agent workflows, tail latency often predicts user-facing quality better than the median. — Lucas Giordano, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for median
Recent Examples of Synonyms for median
  1. average
  2. middle
  3. normal
  4. halfway
  5. medial
  6. intermediate
  7. mid
Adjective
  • Not an average city stay— as much as the hotel has a party scene, around hot dive and cocktail bars—there is also green space all around the property's location.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
  • The average wait for an asylum hearing in California is 1,412 days as of that latest data.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of average
Adjective
  • What’s wired is putting your backing behind Zaza, the middle child.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 22 July 2026
  • When middle-sixers such as Kiefer Sherwood and Bobby McMann are getting that for their declining years, a legit needle-mover such as Blake should add a ton of surplus value above that.
    — Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of middle
Noun
  • But the idea of global water bankruptcy shows that in many places, there’s no old normal to go back to.
    — Sara Roversi, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Wednesday looks like a typical summer day in the metro, with sunny skies pushing highs to around 91 degrees, a bit above the mid-July normal of 88.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
Definition of normal
Adjective
  • The Pirates are 9 1/2 games behind the National League Central Division leading Milwaukee Brewers – but only two games out of a playoff spot at the halfway point in the season.
    — Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Dude’s pretty darn good with halfway decent quarterback play.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 24 June 2026
Definition of halfway
Adjective
  • If you have been bitten or scratched by any stray animals or an animal suspected to have rabies, seek medial care immediately and let your provider know about the possible exposure.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • So, medial epicondylitis or golfer’s elbow is, voilà, inflammation of the medial epicondyle.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of medial
Adjective
  • My real worry is that a genuine dislocation could see everything move down together--equities, gold, even short/intermediate Treasuries--if the shock originates in the dollar, inflation, or fiscal credibility rather than growth.
    — Carrie McCabe, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • That was because Pedersen, with 139km ahead of him, got himself into a small seven-rider breakaway with intermediate sprint points on his mind.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of intermediate
Adjective
  • Keegan would be appointed in September 1997 as chief operating officer, with Fulham a mid-table side in the old Second Division, looking up at Northampton Town and Bristol Rovers.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Speculation is mounting for Grand Theft Auto 6's third trailer, with industry watchers predicting a late July to mid-August release.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of mid

Browse Nearby Words

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median
medians
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Cite this Entry

“Median.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/median. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on median

Nglish: Translation of median for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about median

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