median

1 of 2

noun

me·di·an ˈmē-dē-ən

Synonyms of median next

: a medial (see medial sense 2b) part (such as a vein or nerve)

: a value in an ordered set of values below and above which there is an equal number of values or which is the arithmetic mean of the two middle values if there is no one middle number

: a vertical line that divides the histogram of a frequency distribution into two parts of equal area

: a value of a random variable for which all greater values make the cumulative distribution function greater than one half and all lesser values make it less than one half

: a line from a vertex (see vertex sense 2) of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side

: a line joining the midpoints of the nonparallel sides of a trapezoid (see trapezoid sense 1a)

: median strip

median

2 of 2

adjective

: being in the middle or in an intermediate position : medial

: lying in the plane dividing a bilateral animal into right and left halves

: relating to or constituting a statistical median

: produced without occlusion along the lengthwise middle line of the tongue

medianly adverb

Did you know?

People often use the word average without realizing that there are two common forms of average. Suppose you want to find the average net worth of a group of people—that is, the average value of everything they possess. To find one type of average, called the mean, you'd simply add up the total value of money and property of everyone in the group and divide it by the number of people. To find the other type, called the median, you'd identify the net worth of the person who is richer than half the people and poorer than the other half. So if Warren Buffett drove through a tiny village in India, the mean net worth of those in the village would suddenly rise to perhaps a billion dollars, but their median net worth would remain close to zero. Which figure would be more meaningful?

Choose the Right Synonym for median

average, mean, median, norm mean something that represents a middle point.

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

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°

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

norm means the average of performance of a significantly large group, class, or grade.

scores about the norm for fifth grade arithmetic

Example Sentences

Adjective What is the median price of homes in this area? the median price of a home in the area

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The homes will be for purchase by families earning less than 80% of the area median income, or $82,500 for a family of four according to this year’s federal income estimates. —

Josephine Peterson, Dallas News, 21 June 2023 For every 100 extremely low-income people in California, defined as making less than 30% of area median income, there are only 24 units of affordable housing available. —

Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2023 Oakland, named for the oaks that once covered its terrain, is today home to more than 200,000 trees — planted along sidewalks, medians and in city parks. —

Sarah Ravani, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2023 For instance, someone with a student loan balance of $25,000 can expect to have a monthly payment of at least $250, or 7% of the median after-tax salary of $41,340. —

Natalie Colley, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2023 During Fed tightening, the long-term yield has risen a median of about 1.7 percentage points, according to Innovator ETFs research, about on par with current levels. —

Eric Wallerstein, WSJ, 28 Feb. 2023 Advertisement On the upper floors, 30 percent of the 322 units of mixed-income housing will be set aside for residents making below 50 percent of the area median income, with a smaller portion of those reserved for the lowest-income bracket, those living 30 percent below AMI. —

Meagan Flynn, Washington Post, 9 June 2023 Eligible county residents include anyone over the age of 18 who makes 50% or below of the area median income — $39,500 for an individual and $56,400 for a family of four in Multnomah County. —

oregonlive, 5 June 2023 The two commercial trucks and four passenger vehicles, including the 2017 youth ranch transit van, came to rest in the center median. —

Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 26 May 2023

Adjective

During this period, the median sale for the area was a 821-square-foot home on Northeast Buffalo Street in Portland that sold for $530,000. —

oregonlive, 26 June 2023 Walking around the 90210 ZIP code, where the median breast size seemed to balloon by the day, Elist realized that his next move was staring him in the face. —

Ava Kofman, ProPublica, 26 June 2023 The younger generation seems to know that—the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the median employee tenure in a job is often higher among older workers than younger ones. —

Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 24 June 2023 By using the stable as a high-water mark for the American River, researchers were able to set the peak discharge of the river during the flood at more than 300,000 cubic feet per second — greater than the median flow of the Mississippi River at St. Louis and far above the peak of record. —

Christopher Cox Spencer Lowell, New York Times, 22 June 2023 The median expectation in a central-bank survey of predominately local analysts was for rates to rise to 17%. —

WSJ, 22 June 2023 For example, according to NMHC data, the median income of rental households in 2020 was US $45,191 compared to $67,463 for all U.S. households. —

IEEE Spectrum, 20 June 2023 The median condo sold for $726,000, up 3.7 percent and also a new high. —

Larry Edelman, BostonGlobe.com, 20 June 2023 In the six months prior to homelessness, the median monthly household income for the homeless people surveyed was $960. —

Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 20 June 2023 See More

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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English mediane, from Late Latin mediana (vena) median (vein), from feminine of Latin medianus in the middle, central, from medius middle — more at mid

Adjective

Latin medianus — see median entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of median was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Median.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/median. Accessed 9 Jul. 2023.

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Kids Definition

median

1 of 2 noun

me·di·an ˈmēd-ē-ən

: a value in a series arranged from smallest to largest below and above which there are an equal number of values or which is the average of the two middle values if there is no one middle value

the median of the set 1, 3, 7, 12, 19 is 7 and the median of the set 2, 5, 7, 15 is 6

: a line drawn from the vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side

median

2 of 2 adjective

: being in the middle or in an intermediate position

: relating to or making up a median

Etymology

Noun

from Latin mediana vena "median vein (a large vein in the arm)," from earlier Latin medianus "being in the middle," from medius "middle" — related to intermediate, mean entry 3, meridian

Medical Definition

median

1 of 2 noun

me·di·an ˈmēd-ē-ən

: a medial part (as a vein or nerve)

: a value in an ordered set of values below and above which there is an equal number of values or which is the arithmetic mean of the two middle values if there is no one middle number

: a vertical line that divides the histogram of a frequency distribution into two parts of equal area

median

2 of 2 adjective

: situated in the middle

specifically : lying in a plane dividing a bilateral animal into right and left halves