˜yÐÄvlog

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View synonyms for

happy medium

noun

  1. a course of action or condition that is between two extremes:

    Our climate is a happy medium between hot and cold.

  2. a satisfactory compromise between two things that are related in such a way that one increases as the other decreases:

    We need to find a happy medium between conserving land and developing property.



happy medium

noun

  1. a course or state that avoids extremes
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of happy medium1

First recorded in 1615–25
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Idioms and Phrases

The midway point between two extremes. For example, We need to find a happy medium between overdoing the holiday season and ignoring it entirely . This expression, first recorded in 1778, was once known as the golden mean and is based on ancient mathematical principles.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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