middle ground

American  

noun

1. an intermediate position, area, or recourse between two opposites or extremes; a halfway or neutral standpoint.

2. middle distance.

3. Nautical. a length of comparatively shallow water having channels on both sides.

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middle ground British  

noun

1. another term for middle distance See middle-distance

2. a position of compromise between two opposing views, parties, etc

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Etymology

Origin of middle ground

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Instead of blanket-dismissing tech entrepreneurs or wholesale manifesting a god in the machine, Pope Leo has sought a careful, studied, moral middle ground: one that encourages technological progress but upholds human dignity above all.

From Slate • May 28, 2026

Others have tried to find a middle ground.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

“That leaves the market in an uncomfortable but potentially constructive middle ground: cautious enough to be defensive, but not so fearful that it cannot respond to better news.”

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

But I seek to strike a middle ground.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

I said that there was a middle ground between white fears and black hopes, and we in the ANC would find it.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela