Synonyms of median

median 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in average

being about midway between extremes of amount or size

the median price of a home in the area

Synonyms & Similar Words

• average
• middle
• moderate
• intermediate
• typical
• modest
• reasonable
• medium
• mean
• middling
• normal
• midsize
• standard
• usual
• adequate
• regular
• conventional
• routine
• common
• popular
• tolerable
• commonplace
• passable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extreme
• excessive
• unusual
• exceptional
• uncommon
• rare
• individual
• private
• special
• strange
• unique
• distinctive
• idiosyncratic
• peculiar

2

as in middle

occupying a position equally distant from the ends or extremes

determine the median point between your two speakers, and test your stereo system from there

Synonyms & Similar Words

• middle
• halfway
• medial
• intermediate
• mid
• central
• intermediary
• mediate
• midmost
• nearest
• equidistant
• medium
• inner
• innermost
• borderline
• in-between
• gray
• inmost
• betwixt and between

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extreme
• farthest
• furthest
• outermost
• remotest
• outer
• utmost
• peripheral
• farthermost
• furthermost
• outmost

median

2 of 2

noun

as in normal

Related Words

• average
• normal
• middle
• mean
• golden mean
• norm
• standard
• usual
• ordinary
• status quo
• rule
• par
• commonplace
• representative
• run
• exemplar

Dissimilar Words

• deviation
• exception
• anomaly
• abnormality
• rarity

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

Recent Examples of median

Adjective

The median age of those sickened is 12, with nearly half of those impacted identified as aged 5 or younger, the CDC confirmed. —Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026

The state’s median household income is $100,149, with an annual cost of living of $81,674, putting the lower middle class ceiling at $111,277. —Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026

Noun

The warning signs came long before a tractor-trailer skidded across the median of I-75 in Ohio and struck a pickup and an SUV on Christmas Eve morning in 2022, killing four members of the same family, one of whom was pregnant. —Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026

The median age of first-time homebuyers was 35 years old in 2025, down from a peak of 38 in 2018 but still older than the median of 31 in 2008, according to a Redfin analysis of census data. —Max Rego, The Hill, 19 Apr. 2026