ENGLISH
REFERENCE

median

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈmidiən// UK //mˈiːdiːən// me·di·an Archaic

n. the middle number in a list of values sorted from smallest to largest. If you have five numbers, the third one is the median.

n. the middle value in a distribution of data when the values are arranged in ascending or descending order. In a set with an even number of observations, it is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the two central values.


SIMPLE

The median house price in this city is quite high.

CONTEXTUAL

Economists often prefer the median income over the average because it is not skewed by a few extremely wealthy people.

COMPLEX

While the mean provides a useful summary of the total data set, the median offers a more representative view of the typical experience within a highly unequal population.

Synonyms
Origin

From Media + -n.

Usage

Commonly used in statistical contexts to describe the central tendency of a data set.

Pitfall

the median of the peoplethe median age of the peopleMedian refers to a numerical value in a data set, not the physical middle of a group of individuals.

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