median

1 of 2

noun

me·​di·​an ˈmē-dē-ən 

1

: a medial (see medial sense 2b) part (such as a vein or nerve)

2

a

: a value in an ordered set of values below and above which there is an equal number of values or which is the arithmetic mean of the two middle values if there is no one middle number

b

: a vertical line that divides the histogram of a frequency distribution into two parts of equal area

c

: a value of a random variable for which all greater values make the cumulative distribution function greater than one half and all lesser values make it less than one half

3

a

: a line from a vertex (see vertex sense 2) of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side

b

: a line joining the midpoints of the nonparallel sides of a trapezoid (see trapezoid sense 1a)

4

: median strip

median

2 of 2

adjective

1

: being in the middle or in an intermediate position : medial

2

: lying in the plane dividing a bilateral animal into right and left halves

3

: relating to or constituting a statistical median

4

: produced without occlusion along the lengthwise middle line of the tongue

medianly adverb

Did you know?

People often use the word average without realizing that there are two common forms of average. Suppose you want to find the average net worth of a group of people—that is, the average value of everything they possess. To find one type of average, called the mean, you'd simply add up the total value of money and property of everyone in the group and divide it by the number of people. To find the other type, called the median, you'd identify the net worth of the person who is richer than half the people and poorer than the other half. So if Warren Buffett drove through a tiny village in India, the mean net worth of those in the village would suddenly rise to perhaps a billion dollars, but their median net worth would remain close to zero. Which figure would be more meaningful?

Synonyms

Adjective

• average

Choose the Right Synonym for median

average, mean, median, norm mean something that represents a middle point.

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

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°

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

norm means the average of performance of a significantly large group, class, or grade.

scores about the norm for fifth grade arithmetic

Examples of median in a Sentence

Adjective

What is the median price of homes in this area?

the median price of a home in the area

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Housing affordability: The apartments will be priced based on area median income, with affordable housing for those earning 50% to 80% of the median income and workforce housing for those earning up to 120%. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 10 July 2025

Under the new legislation, that threshold drops to 70% of area median income. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 9 July 2025

Adjective

New Canaan, where the median annual household income is $163,355, was granted a moratorium earlier this year that temporarily exempts it from lawsuits under 8-30g. —Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2025

In May, the median home price in the Space City fell 1.5 percent year-over-year to $339,900, lagging behind the 1 percent gain reported by the nationwide market. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English mediane, from Late Latin mediana (vena) median (vein), from feminine of Latin medianus in the middle, central, from medius middle — more at mid

Adjective

Latin medianus — see median entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing median

• median nerve
• median strip

Rhymes for median

• comedian
• submedian
• paramedian

Kids Definition

median

1 of 2 noun

me·​di·​an ˈmēd-ē-ən 

1

: a value in a series arranged from smallest to largest below and above which there are an equal number of values or which is the average of the two middle values if there is no one middle value

the median of the set 1, 3, 7, 12, 19 is 7 and the median of the set 2, 5, 7, 15 is 6

2

: a line drawn from the vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side

median

2 of 2 adjective

1

: being in the middle or in an intermediate position

2

: relating to or making up a median

Etymology

Noun

from Latin mediana vena "median vein (a large vein in the arm)," from earlier Latin medianus "being in the middle," from medius "middle" — related to intermediate, mean entry 3, meridian

Medical Definition

median

1 of 2 noun

me·​di·​an ˈmēd-ē-ən 

1

: a medial part (as a vein or nerve)

2

a

: a value in an ordered set of values below and above which there is an equal number of values or which is the arithmetic mean of the two middle values if there is no one middle number

b

: a vertical line that divides the histogram of a frequency distribution into two parts of equal area

median

2 of 2 adjective

: situated in the middle

specifically : lying in a plane dividing a bilateral animal into right and left halves