golden mean

noun

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

2. golden section.

golden mean

noun

1. the middle course between extremes

2. another term for golden section

golden mean

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of golden mean¹

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

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."

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Spago today lands squarely in the golden mean of upscale dining: modern but not exactly modernist; elegant but not stuffy; stimulating but rarely thrilling.

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Yet between rules that are too rigid and no effective rules at all, there is a golden mean.

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The result was a fresh argument for a form of pest control — a golden mean of organic and industrial.

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It certainly would be convenient if this golden mean could be determined automatically and consistently.

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