medium
/ˈmiːdiəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmiːdiəm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmē-dē-əm/ (ame, mw) · /ˈmiː.di.əm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmiː.di.əm/ (ame, ipa)
medium — adjective
- mediumpositive
- more mediumcomparative
- most mediumsuperlative
1. describing something that is neither large nor small, neither high nor low, but
describing something that is neither large nor small, neither high nor low, but at a point roughly halfway between the two ends of a scale.
Haruto ordered a medium coffee and a croissant for breakfast.
medium + noun for food/drink size options
Priya set the oven to medium heat and waited for the butter to melt.
The apartment was a medium size with two bedrooms and a bathroom.
Ayesha speaks Spanish at a medium level — she holds conversations but still makes mistakes.
The company is a medium-sized business with roughly two hundred employees.
- moderate
Focuses on degree or intensity rather than physical dimensions; 'moderate' often has a positive sense of being reasonable (moderate prices, moderate exercise).
- average
Refers to what is statistically typical or normal rather than a deliberate midpoint choice (average height, average score).
- middle
Emphasises position between two ends rather than a range of sizes (middle shelf, middle age).
文法句型
medium + noun
medium-sized + noun
用法筆記
Commonly used before nouns describing size options on menus, clothing labels, and temperature settings. When used predictively (e.g., 'The portion was medium'), the meaning is the same.
常見錯誤
2. cooked so that the inside of the meat is no longer raw and red, but still slight
cooked so that the inside of the meat is no longer raw and red, but still slightly pink, moist, and tender.
Jude ordered his steak medium, with a little pink still showing inside.
medium as a doneness level for steak
The chef recommended cooking the lamb chops medium for the best flavour.
Lauren prefers her burger medium because it stays juicier than well-done.
A medium pork chop should feel slightly springy when you press it with a finger.
- medium-rare
Slightly less cooked than medium, with more pink and a warmer centre.
- medium-well
Slightly more cooked than medium, with just a trace of pink.
文法句型
medium (adjective)
medium-rare
medium-well
用法筆記
Only used for red meat, lamb, pork, and some fish. Poultry must always be cooked through — never say 'medium chicken.' For steaks, the doneness scale runs: rare → medium-rare → medium → medium-well → well-done.
常見錯誤
medium — noun
- mediumsingular
- mediaplural
1. a system, method, or material used to communicate information, express ideas, or
a system, method, or material used to communicate information, express ideas, or store data — for example, television as a source of news, paint as a way of creating art, or a disk as a place to keep files.
Television remains a powerful medium for delivering news to a wide audience.
medium for + purpose
Minh chose watercolour as his artistic medium for the landscape painting.
artistic medium
Social media has become the dominant advertising medium among young adults.
The professor explained that film is a relatively young medium compared to theatre.
Flash drives and memory cards are common storage mediums used for backing up photos.
- channel
A narrower term focusing on the specific pathway or platform (TV channel, distribution channel).
- outlet
Suggests a point of release or expression; often used for news organisations (media outlet) or creative work (creative outlet).
- vehicle
Countable and somewhat formal; emphasises the conveying function (a vehicle for political expression).
文法句型
medium of [noun]
medium for [noun/gerund]
medium through which
用法筆記
The plural media is standard when referring to news organisations or mass communication ('the media were present at the trial'). The plural mediums is used for artistic materials ('oil and watercolour are two different mediums') and for storage devices.
常見錯誤
2. a person who claims to be able to receive messages from the spirits of dead peop
a person who claims to be able to receive messages from the spirits of dead people and pass those messages on to the living.
The medium claimed she could hear voices from beyond the grave.
Felipe visited a medium hoping to contact his late grandmother.
visit a medium
Skeptics argue that mediums use clever tricks rather than actual spiritual powers.
In the village, the medium was respected for delivering messages from ancestors.
- sceptic
Someone who doubts the existence of spiritual communication.
文法句型
medium + between [people]
medium + who/that
用法筆記
The plural of this sense is mediums (not 'media'). This sense is distinct from noun sense 1 (CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION) — the word 'medium' here refers to a person, not a method.
常見錯誤
❌ 'The spiritual medium used social media to reach followers.' — This mixes noun sense 1 and noun sense 2 in one sentence, which can confuse learners. Keep the two meanings separate in your writing.
3. a substance or surrounding material in which something grows, develops, lives, o
a substance or surrounding material in which something grows, develops, lives, or moves — for example, soil for plants, a gel for bacteria, or a liquid mixed with paint.
The lab technician prepared a sterile medium for growing bacterial cultures.
growth medium / culture medium
Moss thrives in a damp, shady medium such as forest soil.
Sound waves need a medium like air or water to travel through.
The artist mixed oil paint with a special medium to make it flow more smoothly.
- substrate
Technical term for the surface or material on which an organism grows; narrower and more scientific than 'medium'.
- environment
Broader term covering all surrounding conditions, not just the physical substance.
- agent
A substance that produces an effect; used in physics contexts (transmission agent).
文法句型
medium for [growth/transmission]
culture medium
growth medium
用法筆記
In scientific contexts, the plural is usually media (bacterial culture media; liquid media). In art, both mediums and media are used for the substances mixed with pigment. The plural mediums is preferred when referring to specific types of painting additives ('acrylic mediums').