happy medium

American  

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.

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happy medium British  

noun

1. a course or state that avoids extremes

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happy medium Idioms  

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of happy medium

First recorded in 1615–25

Example Sentences

The mindset shift is to find a happy medium.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 9, 2026

The most recent high-profile incarnation of the character, played by David Corenswet in James Gunn’s 2025 blockbuster “Superman,” aims for a happy medium, reframing Kal-El’s desire to do good as “punk.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

How can we find a happy medium between the theater and the streaming release that lets us see the things we want without getting crushed by massive amounts of “content”?

From Salon • May 22, 2025

Or perhaps it's a happy medium of all those things.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2025

“My father would say ‘yes,’ Mr. Knightley ‘no;’ and Miss Bates and I that he is just the happy medium.

From "Emma" by Jane Austen