Phrase guide

happy medium

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A balanced position between two opposite extremes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • The tone of the paper strikes a happy medium between layman approachability and technical accuracy.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 折衷办法 — balanced position
  • Chinese Mandarin: 中庸之道 (zhōngyōng zhī dào) — balanced position
  • Finnish: kultainen keskitie — balanced position
  • French: juste milieu — balanced position
  • German: goldene Mitte — balanced position
  • Icelandic: hinn gullni meðalvegur — balanced position
  • Latvian: zelta vidusceļš — balanced position
  • Polish: złoty środek — balanced position
  • Portuguese: meio-termo — balanced position
  • Russian: золота́я середи́на (zolotája seredína) — balanced position
  • Spanish: término medio — balanced position
  • Swedish: medelväg — balanced position
  • Turkish: orta yol — balanced position
  • Ukrainian: золота́ середи́на (zolotá seredýna) — balanced position