medium

medium — adjective

1. describing something that is neither large nor small, neither high nor low, but

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

describing something that is neither large nor small, neither high nor low, but at a point roughly halfway between the two ends of a scale.

Example

Haruto ordered a medium coffee and a croissant for breakfast.

medium + noun for food/drink size options

Priya set the oven to medium heat and waited for the butter to melt.

Common collocations
  • medium size
  • medium heat
  • medium height
  • medium build
  • medium level
  • medium temperature
Synonyms
  • moderate

    Focuses on degree or intensity rather than physical dimensions; 'moderate' often has a positive sense of being reasonable (moderate prices, moderate exercise).

  • average

    Refers to what is statistically typical or normal rather than a deliberate midpoint choice (average height, average score).

  • middle

    Emphasises position between two ends rather than a range of sizes (middle shelf, middle age).

Antonyms
  • large

    At the upper end of the scale.

  • small

    At the lower end of the scale.

  • extreme

    Far from the middle.

Grammar Patterns

medium + noun

medium-sized + noun

Usage Note

Commonly used before nouns describing size options on menus, clothing labels, and temperature settings. When used predictively (e.g., 'The portion was medium'), the meaning is the same.

Common Mistakes

I ordered a medium-sized coffee.
I ordered a medium coffee.
In ordering contexts, 'medium' already communicates the size; 'medium-sized' is redundant, though acceptable in descriptions of objects ('a medium-sized apartment').

2. cooked so that the inside of the meat is no longer raw and red, but still slight

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

cooked so that the inside of the meat is no longer raw and red, but still slightly pink, moist, and tender.

Example

Jude ordered his steak medium, with a little pink still showing inside.

medium as a doneness level for steak

The chef recommended cooking the lamb chops medium for the best flavour.

Common collocations
  • medium steak
  • cooked medium
  • medium doneness
  • medium lamb
  • medium burger
Synonyms
  • medium-rare

    Slightly less cooked than medium, with more pink and a warmer centre.

  • medium-well

    Slightly more cooked than medium, with just a trace of pink.

Antonyms
  • rare

    Much less cooked, with a red centre.

  • well-done

    Fully cooked with no pink inside.

Grammar Patterns

medium (adjective)

medium-rare

medium-well

Usage Note

Only used for red meat, lamb, pork, and some fish. Poultry must always be cooked through — never say 'medium chicken.' For steaks, the doneness scale runs: rare → medium-rare → medium → medium-well → well-done.

Common Mistakes

I like my chicken breast medium.
I like my steak medium.
Medium doneness applies to red meat and some fish; poultry must be fully cooked and cannot be ordered medium.
Idioms

in the long/short/medium term

idiom

This phrase refers to a period of time in the future, either far away, near, or in between.

In the short term, we need to fix the broken printer.

Maya believes her investment will grow in the long term.

medium — noun

Word family

  • media
    nounB1
  • mediums
    nounB2
  • medium-sized
    adjectiveA2
  • medium-rare
    adjectiveB1
  • medium-term
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Medium, moderate, average, and middle all describe a position between extremes, but they differ in scope. Medium focuses on physical size or quantity — ordering a medium coffee or choosing a medium-sized shirt. Moderate emphasises degree or intensity, often with a positive sense of being reasonable: moderate prices, moderate exercise. Average refers to what is statistically typical or normal — an average score, the average person. Middle describes a point or position between two ends — the middle seat, middle age. In practice, you would say 'a woman of medium height' (a neutral physical measurement) but 'a woman of average height' (compared to the population). For intensity, choose moderate: 'cook over moderate heat' rather than 'medium heat' in recipes where controlled temperature is implied.

medium ↗moderate ↗average ↗middle ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • medium of communication
  • medium of exchange
  • medium of expression
  • medium for growth
  • strike a happy medium

Prepositions

  • medium for
  • medium of
  • medium in

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Medium comes from Latin 'medium', meaning 'the middle' (the neuter form of 'medius', meaning 'middle'). It entered English in the late 1500s, first as a noun meaning 'a middle point or condition.' By the 1600s it was used for 'an intervening substance' (through which something passes) and 'a means of conveying something.' The adjective sense ('intermediate in size or degree') followed in the 1600s. The spiritual sense — a person who communicates with the dead — emerged around the 1850s during the rise of the Spiritualist movement in the United States and Britain.