golden mean

Definition of golden meannext
as in middle
a middle point between extremes when it comes to money, the golden mean is saving some income, while giving yourself a modest spending allowance

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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 golden mean Philosopher Aristotle believed in the golden mean: Between two extremes lies perfection. María Munsuri, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2025 What was once perceived as a temporary fix may, however, prove to be the golden mean. Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 21 June 2025 Embodied is working to achieve a kind of anthropomorphic golden mean with its bot: not so mechanical that children lose interest but not realistic enough for kids to humanize it. Webb Wright, Scientific American, 5 June 2024 In this world, the golden mean does not exist and equipoise is a pipe dream. Kent Sepkowitz, CNN, 5 Nov. 2022 The result of this mechanical wizardry is the golden mean of a modern luxury conveyance. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 11 Dec. 2021 The trajectory's holding steady, not trending to the golden mean of 2%. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2021 Sullivan notes, for instance, Mayan astrologers’ discovery of the golden mean. Alyssa Mora, Variety, 22 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for golden mean
Noun
  • One of the site’s 36 pillars — the tallest one in the middle — could be a perch for a big, pink, screeching bird.
    Ryan Steven Green, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • There’s a security in feeling that his pregame swing work will translate into the game, rather than trying to make fixes in the middle of it.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • The theory here is that avarice and ambition can best be defeated by means of somebody else’s avarice and ambition; power’s inevitable corrupting effect is thereby mitigated or delayed.
    Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
  • A lot of states are using other means of helping families through tax policies, such as private education incentives.
    Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Golden mean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/golden%20mean. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.

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