happy medium

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noun

a course of action or condition that is between two extremes: Our climate is a happy medium between hot and cold.

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.

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Words nearby happy medium

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use happy medium in a sentence

Batteries can be heavy so you need to strike a happy medium between battery power and weight.
Best vacuum for pet hair: Get a fur-free home with these powerful dustbusters|Charlotte Marcus|February 16, 2021|Popular-Science
The best cushioning is neither too hard nor too soft, hitting a happy medium characterized by soft and supportive and comfortable and lightweight.
Best running shoes for men: Five things to consider|Eric Alt|December 9, 2020|Popular-Science
I think that is a happy medium between the content regulation that some want and a complete free-for-all where these companies are unregulated whatsoever.
Can You Hear Me Now? (Ep. 406)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 20, 2020|Freakonomics
So, as far as Mexican officials like Peña Nieto are concerned, the goal is to keep their countrymen here — and keep them happy.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

How do you celebrate when happy occasions are colored by loss and absence?
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He seemed by all appearances perfectly happy to let the Republicans control the state senate.
Mario Cuomo: An OK Governor, but a Far Better Person|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The church was not happy with his views, and there was talk of excommunication.
Mario Cuomo, a Frustrating Hero to Democrats, Is Dead at 82|Eleanor Clift|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“We wish each and every one of you a happy and safe new year,” Giorgio said at the very end.
Cop Families Boo De Blasio at NYPD Graduation|Michael Daly|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And that was that if he and his wife were to ever live together again and be happy, the family were to be kept out of it.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Cousin George's position is such a happy one, that conversation is to him a thing superfluous.
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")
Liszt gazed at "his Hans," as he calls him, with the fondest pride, and seemed perfectly happy over his arrival.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
M'Bongo and his whole court are now clothed, I am happy to say, at least to a certain extent.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
He was aware that his act by this time, had helped nobody, had made no one happy or satisfied—not even himself.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for happy medium

happy medium

noun

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with happy medium

happy medium

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.

happy medium

Words nearby happy medium

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How to use happy medium in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for happy medium

Other Idioms and Phrases with happy medium