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median

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noun

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
More favorable signs include solid median home prices averaging $455,000 here despite more homes up for sale, and a surprising decline in evictions. Russ Wiles, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025 The median sales price of new homes sold in March 2025 was $403,600 — a smidge lower than the median sales price of an existing home. Laurel Wamsley, NPR, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
And in Miami Gardens, where the median household income is about $60,000 — almost $20,000 less than the county median — that extra 25% stings. Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2025 YouGov's election model paints a similar picture: a Liberal win with between 163 and 201 seats (median: 182), and the Conservatives taking between 115 and 153 seats (median: 133). Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for median
Recent Examples of Synonyms for median
Adjective
  • Despite the increase, the average number of active listings remains below the average of 13,871 for April from 1985 to 2024.
    Sara B. Hansen, Denver Post, 10 May 2025
  • The average time a house remains on the market has also increased to 75 days.
    James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 May 2025
Adjective
  • And eccentric middle child Judy (Edi Patterson) is wearing a power-clashing skirt suit straight out of the 1980s.
    Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
  • Next to Lindor, 31 but still good, the Mets have an ideal middle infield.
    Sam Settleman, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Noun
  • The movie’s over-all arc is a common one: from the unquestioned routines of daily life to the strange new normal of risks and precautions, fears and constraints, illness and deaths; from there to an eventual sense of wary relief.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The bottom line is that nearly four years into this new normal in college football, NFL teams are still trying to master a transfer landscape that isn’t going away.
    Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Wynn Resorts is currently nearing the halfway point of its construction on the $5 billion casino development.
    Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 7 May 2025
  • At the halfway point, your weekly split became dead even: 35 minutes walking, 35 running.
    Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Expanding National Institutes of Health medial research by 60% over the last decade.
    Dick Durbin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Varma is an associate professor of the psychological/medial anthropology subfield and the vice chair of undergraduate studies.
    News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The intermediate player will want a standard design, rather than a small tabletop model.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025
  • For beginner to intermediate backpackers, consider a guiding service, such as St. Elias Alpine Guides, to safely adventure through the wilderness.
    Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In the mid 1990s the NCAA adopted Proposition 16, which created a more flexible standard for meeting academic eligibility.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 May 2025
  • But while that effort may have been enough to dispatch a genuinely mid Senators team, the Panthers are going to be a different beast.
    Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 2 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Median.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/median. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

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