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average

If something is average, it's ordinary and not very special. You might say a movie was average if you thought it was just okay.

Choose Your Words:

mean / median / average

Wordsmiths sometimes dislike numbers, or at least have a hard time grasping them. These words offer us an opportunity to better understand numbers and use their terms more precisely in writing and speaking.   Continue reading...

Average can describe what's true most of the time, as in, “The average rainfall in Seattle is fifty-two inches.” It can also be used in a mathematical and more precise way. On his English tests, Dylan received grades of 92%, 85% and 94%. His average grade was 90%, or the sum of the test scores divided by the number of tests taken.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: average

1
 nadjv
an intermediate scale value regarded as normal or usual
around the middle of a scale of evaluation
amount to or come to an average, without loss or gain
2
 adj
lacking special distinction, rank, or status; commonly encountered
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: average
1

n an intermediate scale value regarded as normal or usual

“he is about average in height”
“the snowfall this month is below average”
Type of:
scale value
a value on some scale of measurement

n a statistic describing the location of a distribution

Synonyms:
norm
Types:
show 7 types...
hide 7 types...
age norm
the average age at which particular performances are expected to appear
modal value, mode
the most frequent value of a random variable
median, median value
the value below which 50% of the cases fall
mean, mean value
an average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n
arithmetic mean, expectation, expected value, first moment
the sum of the values of a random variable divided by the number of values
geometric mean
the mean of n numbers expressed as the n-th root of their product
harmonic mean
the mean of n numbers expressed as the reciprocal of the arithmetic mean of the reciprocals of the numbers
Type of:
statistic
a datum that can be represented numerically

n (sports) the ratio of successful performances to opportunities

Types:
batting average, hitting average
(baseball) a measure of a batter's performance; the number of base hits divided by the number of official times at bat
fielding average
(baseball) a measure of a fielder's performance; the number of assists and putouts divided by the number of chances
Type of:
ratio
the relative magnitudes of two quantities (usually expressed as a quotient)

adj around the middle of a scale of evaluation

“an orange of average size”
Synonyms:
intermediate, medium
moderate
being within reasonable or average limits; not excessive or extreme

adj approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value

“the average income in New England is below that of the nation”
“of average height for his age”
Synonyms:
mean
normal
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal

adj relating to or constituting the most frequent value in a distribution

Synonyms:
modal
normal
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal

adj relating to or constituting the middle value of an ordered set of values (or the average of the middle two in a set with an even number of values)

Synonyms:
median
normal
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal

v amount to or come to an average, without loss or gain

“The number of hours I work per work averages out to 40”
Synonyms:
average out
Type of:
add up, amount, come, number, total
add up in number or quantity

v achieve or reach on average

“He averaged a C”
Type of:
accomplish, achieve, attain, reach
to gain with effort

v compute the average of

Synonyms:
average out
Type of:
calculate, cipher, compute, cypher, figure, reckon, work out
make a mathematical calculation or computation
2

adj lacking special distinction, rank, or status; commonly encountered

“average people”
Synonyms:
ordinary
common
having no special distinction or quality; widely known or commonly encountered; average or ordinary or usual

adj lacking exceptional quality or ability

“a novel of average merit”
“the caliber of the students has gone from mediocre to above average”
Synonyms:
fair, mediocre, middling
ordinary
not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree
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