norm

1
as in normal
what is typical of a group, class, or series sales figures that are within the norm of a store of that size

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in standards
norms plural the code of good conduct for an individual or group societal norms dictate that murder is wrong

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word norm distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of norm are average, mean, and median. While all these words mean "something that represents a middle point," norm means the average of performance of a significantly large group, class, or grade.

scores about the norm for fifth grade arithmetic

When is it sensible to use average instead of norm?

The synonyms average and norm are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 might mean be a better fit than norm?

The words mean and norm 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 can median be used instead of norm?

Although the words median and norm have much in common, 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

Thesaurus Entries Near norm

Cite this Entry

“Norm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/norm. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on norm

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!