Synonyms of median

median 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in middle

being about midway between extremes of amount or size

the median price of a home in the area

Synonyms & Similar Words

• average
• middle
• moderate
• typical
• intermediate
• modest
• reasonable
• medium
• mean
• middling
• midsized
• normal
• midsize
• standard
• usual
• adequate
• regular
• conventional
• routine
• common
• popular
• tolerable
• commonplace
• passable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extreme
• excessive
• unusual
• exceptional
• uncommon
• rare
• individual
• private
• special
• strange
• unique
• distinctive
• idiosyncratic
• peculiar

2

as in halfway

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

• middle
• halfway
• medial
• intermediate
• mid
• central
• intermediary
• mediate
• midmost
• nearest
• equidistant
• medium
• grey
• inner
• innermost
• borderline
• in-between
• gray
• inmost
• betwixt and between

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extreme
• farthest
• furthest
• outermost
• remotest
• outer
• utmost
• peripheral
• farthermost
• furthermost
• outmost

median

2 of 2

noun

as in average

Related Words

• average
• normal
• middle
• mean
• golden mean
• norm
• standard
• usual
• ordinary
• status quo
• rule
• par
• commonplace
• representative
• run
• exemplar

Dissimilar Words

• deviation
• exception
• anomaly
• abnormality
• rarity

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

Recent Examples of median

Adjective

Homes will be available to households earning up to 120% of area median income, with residents paying no more than 30% of their income on rent. —Susanne Schindler, The Conversation, 7 July 2025

The developer has specified that 80% of the apartments will be reserved for tenants at the low-income level, which under San Diego County guidelines is 80% of the area median income, or $105,950 for a household of two people and $92,700 for a household of one. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2025

Noun

City documents show 71% of the units are required to be rented at 50% of the county's median income, 20% of the units are priced at 60% of the CMI, and the remaining 9% are set at market rate. —Liliana Fannin, jsonline.com, 10 July 2025

For comparison, properties listing close to the median home price — $750,000 to $1 million — were taking an average 77 days. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2025