plural medias
1
a
singular or plural in construction
: the newspapers, radio and television stations, websites, etc., through which information is communicated to the public : mass media
We're posting things that mainstream media aren't publishing.—Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh, quoted at wired.com
… traditional media is suffering with the rise of social and simultaneous decline of newspapers.—latimes.com
—usually used with theThe event attracted a lot of attention from the media.
the news media
—often used before another nounThe event attracted a lot of media attention.
see also social media
b
or less commonly medias plural
: members of the mass media (such as news outlets)
The event attracted a lot of media.
… has detailed files on British journalists and will certainly not be short on information on the media who are travelling to Africa …—Owen Slot
… even the mainstream medias are shifting their tone and coverage of this disturbing event.—Rappin Thomas Wyatt
2
: a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression
traditional medias [=(more commonly) media] such as newspapers and magazines
an artist who works in different medias [=(more commonly) media]
Air is a media [=(more commonly) medium] that conveys sound.
Is media singular or plural?: Usage Guide
The singular media and its plural medias seem to have originated in the field of advertising, where they are still used without stigma. In most other contexts media is used as the plural of medium. However, the popularity of the word in references to the agencies of mass communication has lead to the formation of a mass noun, construed as a singular.
… there's no basis for it. You know, the news media gets on to something …
—Edwin Meese 3d
… the media is less interested in the party's policies …
—James Lewis, Guardian Weekly
Although it is increasingly common, this use may incur criticism especially in formal writing.
plural mediae
ˈmē-dē-ˌē
1
[Late Latin, from Latin, feminine of medius; from the voiced stops' being regarded as intermediate between the tenues and the aspirates]
: a voiced (see voiced entry 1 sense 2) stop (see stop entry 2 sense 1b)
2
[New Latin, from Latin]
: the middle coat of the wall of a blood or lymph (see lymph sense 2) vessel consisting chiefly of circular muscle fibers
Cite this Entry
“Media.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/media. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
