WordGarden.iomedian
A1Pronunciation
UK
- /mˈiːdiːən/
US
- /ˈmidiən/
Meanings
Noun
the middle value in an ordered set of numbers or data
a strip that separates opposing lanes of traffic on a road
a line segment from a triangle's vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side
Adjective
relating to the middle value of an ordered data set
located in the middle or along the midline of something
Beyond the definition
Imagine you line up all your friends from shortest to tallest. The median is the value in the middle. It's not always the same as the "average" because it shows the point where one half is on one side and the other half is on the other side.
It is especially useful when some numbers are much higher or lower than the rest. For example, if you're looking at house prices in a neighborhood, a few mansions could pull the average price way up, but the median would give you a more realistic idea of what most homes cost. You'll often see "median income" in the news; it tells you the middle point of everyone's earnings.
The median is the central value in a sorted set of numbers. Unlike the mean (the average calculated by adding all values and dividing by the count), the median isn't affected by outliers—extremely high or low numbers that can skew the results.
To find the median, you first arrange all the numbers in ascending order (from smallest to largest). If there's an odd number of values, the median is simply the middle number. For example, in the set {1, 3, 5, 7, 9}, the median is 5. If there's an even number of values, you find the two middle numbers and calculate their average. For instance, in the set {2, 4, 6, 8}, the two middle numbers are 4 and 6. Their average () is the median.
The median is widely used in statistics to represent a typical value in a dataset. It's particularly useful when dealing with income, housing prices, or any data where extreme values might distort the overall picture. It provides a measure of central tendency that is less sensitive to outliers than the mean.
Beyond the world of data, you will also encounter the term on the road. A "median strip" is the strip of land or barrier that separates lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions. Here too, the idea is the same: something in the middle that divides two sides.
So, while the average tells you the sum divided by the count, the median tells you the middle point—the value or strip that divides two sides. It helps you find what is most representative when a few unusual numbers would otherwise pull the average away from the center.
Examples
- 1
Test scores
The median score on the test was 78.
- 2
Income statistics
The report compares median income in rural and urban areas.
- 3
Housing costs
Median rent has increased sharply since last year.
- 4
Averages
A few very high salaries can pull the average up, so economists often look at the median too.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Population age
The median age in the town is 42.
- 6
Road divider
A car crossed the median and hit oncoming traffic.
- Usage
In road use, the median is the strip between opposite lanes, especially in American English.
See also
Similar
- middle value
- 50th percentile
Shades of meaning
- second quartile
- typical value
Contrast
- arithmetic mean
- mode
Do not confuse
Used with (collocations)
- median income
- median age
- find the median
- median value
Explore
- central tendency
- percentile
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- mediannounadjective
Forms
- medianspluralnounadjective