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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

Examples of median in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
For this to be considered affordable, a family must earn $120,000 – almost twice the $70,000 median household income for city renters. Hillary Chura, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2024 This is the first instance of the median cost of a single-family home exceeding $2 million since NAR began tracking in 1979. Madeline Fitzgerald, Quartz, 14 Aug. 2024
Noun
According to the Colorado State Patrol, Simcox was doing paperwork while parked in his marked Ford 150 pickup truck between two concrete barriers in the center median of U.S. 36, just west of Federal Boulevard in Westminster, when De Santiago opened fire while driving past. Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2024 What next? Middle-class households have saved a median of $66,000 for retirement, said CBS News. Joel Mathis, theweek, 5 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for median 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'median.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near median

Cite this Entry

“Median.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/median. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.

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