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

Examples of median in a Sentence

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

Workforce housing rents range from 60% to 140% of the county’s area median income, while affordable housing rents run below the 60% threshold. —

Rebecca San Juan, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024 In 2019, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation also installed cable barriers along the median of Interstate 94 between highways 67 and SS in Waukesha County as part of the same safety initiative. —

Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024 And in recent years, the median spends on projects has gone up. —

Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024 The Antioch man was ejected into the center median and pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said. —

Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024 According to the Fannie Mae area median income lookup tool, the area median income for Benton County is $92,400; 80% of that is $73,920 and 50% is $46,200. —

Campbell Roper, arkansasonline.com, 26 Mar. 2024 The San Francisco Square Apartments will serve seniors earning up to 80% of the area median income. —

The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2024 Dane County's median rent hit $1,258 in 2022, compared to the statewide median of $992. —

Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 Those with home prices near the national median could have cleared about $99,000 in equity, on average, in 2019 (the year the data was gathered). —

Kate Ashford Of Nerdwallet, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024

Adjective

The median price for a home in the Baltimore metro was $383,900 in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the National Association of Realtors. —

Bryan Mena, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024 According to the National Association of Realtors, the median sale price of a home in December of 2023 was 4.4% higher than in December 2022. —

Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 2 Apr. 2024 At the same time, the median home price rose to $825,000, up from $802,500 the previous month, for an annual increase of 10 percent. —

Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024 In the Marin condominium and townhome market, the median price last month was $718,000 on 29 sales, according to the assessor’s office. —

Gary Klien, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024 However, there was some good news for sellers: the median sales price in 2023 hit a historical high of $389,800, up 1% from 2022. —

Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024 The median annual total compensation of all Ford employees, excluding the CEO, was $84,829, up from $74,691 a year earlier. —

Detroit Free Press, 29 Mar. 2024 In the fourth quarter, the median sales prices totaled $417,700, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. —

Michelle Chapman, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024 In 2022, the median wage for child care workers was $14.04, up 18% since 2017, according to data from the Connecticut Department of Labor. —

Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Mar. 2024

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 16 Apr. 2024.

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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

Last Updated: 16 Apr 2024 - Updated example sentences

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median

noun

adjective

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Synonyms

Examples of median in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near median

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition