golden mean

American  

noun

1. the perfect moderate course or position that avoids extremes; the happy medium.

2. golden section.

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golden mean British  

noun

1. the middle course between extremes

2. another term for golden section

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golden mean Cultural  

1. The desirable middle ground between any two extremes, according to the philosophy of Aristotle.

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Etymology

Origin of golden mean

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

‘A golden mean exists between security and deprivation.’

From MarketWatch • Dec. 11, 2025

In this way, the virtuous action will be the golden mean, neither too much nor too little.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

And yet, she still recommends Aristotle's "golden mean," which she summarizes as "the right emotion or the right action for the right context in the right amount."

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2022

She claims that teams must strike an optimal balance between diversity and homogeneity and that teams that fall too far on either side of the golden mean win fewer games.

From Slate • May 2, 2017

Hal speaks of mathematics, Euclidean perfection, and the golden mean.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman