medium
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- middle, average, fair, intermediate, mean, median, mediocre, middling, midway
[noun]
Synonyms:
- middle, average, centre, compromise, mean, midpoint
- means, agency, channel, instrument, mode, organ, vehicle, way
- environment, atmosphere, conditions, milieu, setting, surroundings
- spiritualist

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Contrasted words: inferior, low-grade, poor, excellent, first-class, high-grade, prime, superior
Related Idioms: fair to middling
Related Words: median, par, passable, tolerable, neutral, popular, vulgar, normal, standard, intermediate, intermedium

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. me‧di‧um¹ S3 AC /ˈmiːdiəm/ adjective

1. of middle size, level, or amount:
What size shirt does he wear – small, medium or large?
(of) medium height/length/build
She’s of medium height.
hair of medium length
Fry the onions over a medium heat until they are golden.
medium to large companies
► Use average, not ‘medium’, when you want to say that someone’s level of skill or ability is neither high nor low: students of average ability (NOT students of medium ability)

2. (also medium rare) meat that is medium or medium rare is partly cooked but still slightly pink inside ⇒ rare, well-done

3. medium dry medium dry wine is slightly sweeter than dry wine

4. medium brown/blue etc a colour which is neither light nor dark:
His jacket’s a medium brown colour.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. medium² AC noun (plural media /-diə/ or mediums) [countable]

1. a way of communicating information and news to people, such as newspapers, television etc ⇒ media:
Advertising is a powerful medium.

2. a way of expressing your ideas, especially as a writer or an artist
medium for
the novel as a medium for satire
the visual media (=painting and films)

3. medium of instruction a language that is used for teaching:
English is still the main medium of instruction in Nigeria.

4. medium of exchange money or other ways of paying for things

5. technical a substance or material in which things grow or exist:
a good growing medium for tomatoes

6. technical a substance through which a force travels
⇒ magnetic media, ⇒ a happy medium at happy(8)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. medium³ noun (plural mediums) [countable]
someone who claims to have the power to receive messages from dead people

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

medium
noun
I. means of expressing/communicating sth
ADJ. communication Radio is an important communication medium in many countries.
mass | print, written
PREP. through the ~ of The government communicates through the medium of television.
PHRASES a medium of communication

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

medium
II. sth used for a particular purpose
ADJ. storage An optical disk is just another kind of electronic storage medium.
PREP. ~ for she used her novels as a medium for encouraging political debate.
~ of the medium of study
PHRASES a medium of instruction (= a language used for teaching) English is the medium of instruction in many African countries.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

medium
III. material/form that an artist, etc. uses
ADJ. mixed media mixed media artwork
PREP. through a/the ~ | ~ of to express yourself through the medium of paint/poetry/drama

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

medium
adjective
1.
BAD: The medium score was about 6 out of 10.
GOOD: The average score was about 6 out of 10.

Usage Note:
medium = neither large nor small, neither tall nor short, etc: 'The waiter was of medium height and walked with a slight limp.'
average = calculated by adding a set of quantities together and then dividing this total by the number of quantities in the set: 'The average age of students entering the college this year is 19.' 'Since 1991 house prices have been falling at an average annual rate of 8%.'

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2.
BAD: My ability in English is about medium.
GOOD: My ability in English is about average.

Usage Note:
If someone's level of skill or ability is neither high nor low, it is average : 'Elizabeth shows above average intelligence for a child of three.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

medium
ˈmi:djəm
See: strike a happy medium

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲