median 1 of 2

Definition of mediannext

median

2 of 2

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

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
Meanwhile, the median household income in Pittsburgh is $66,954, according to the study. Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026 The subsidy program, which spent more than $980 million in 2022, provides scholarships to families with incomes at 85% of the state’s median income and lower. Jess Huff, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
Along a grassy median outside $400,000 homes, a memorial and cross remain carefully tended just feet from where Wells was shot eight times and died. Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026 His body was found in a traffic median the following afternoon after it was revealed by melting snow. Alan Gionet, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for median
Recent Examples of Synonyms for median
Adjective
  • Thousands are now not showing up for work, hundreds have quit altogether, and the average wait time at airports has reached record levels.
    Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 26 Mar. 2026
  • That’s the view of Robinhood, which counts 250,000 customers paying on average $250 annually to use its Strategies, an AI tool guided by human advisors.
    Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • And then Harris, just an 0-0 slider, trying to get it away and left it middle-in.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Ever the contrarian, Rødland decided to forge a middle path.
    Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • With snowfall 60% below normal for the season through February in its home state of Colorado and low in neighboring Utah, Vail has seen skiers and snowboarders stay away in droves.
    Phil Wahba, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Monday peaks close to seasonal normals in the 50s.
    Gregory Padgett, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Around the halfway point, though, the situation began to change.
    Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Biro’s sending off came after battling for the ball with Charlotte FC striker Idan Toklomati on the halfway line.
    David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The contract also mandates a coordinated social medial push, where schools had to publish at least one post on the their team’s primary Instagram, X and Facebook accounts, along with corresponding story posts.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Despite my 2015 pre-diabetes diagnosis and later on bi-osteoarthritis and medial meniscus tears, this consistency has kept me healthy and out of the high-cost medical system for 11 years.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Wang — who speaks Italian at a B2, or upper intermediate level, and has four great-grandparents from Sicily — had already made an appointment to recognize her citizenship, so hoped she might be treated as a case in progress.
    Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Reopened later that day after a third visit found one intermediate violation.
    Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Certain European airports still project a mid-century grandeur.
    Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Under bright skies, highs will climb into the mid and upper 50s for most locations, except for the south facing shores of Long Island and Connecticut, where highs will only be in the 40s.
    Matthew Villafane, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Median.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/median. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.

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