What does "average" mean?
Any measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.
Average
/ˈæv(ə)ɹɪd͡ʒ/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.
- Grammar: average is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: norm, academic mediocrity, acceptable, accustomed.
- Useful contrasts: beautiful, extraordinary, academic excellence.
- Usage evidence: Your marks were well below average this term.
How to use "average"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "average" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "average" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "average" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "average" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "average" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "norm" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "average", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.
"You need to show some averages in an executive summary, show some samples of raw data in the document body, and move the full raw data to an appendix."
- 2 The service that a tenant owed his lord, to be done by the animals of the tenant, such as the transportation of wheat, turf, etc. UK, obsolete
- 3 an intermediate scale value regarded as normal or usual wordnet
- 4 Any measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.; The arithmetic mean.
"The average of 10, 20 and 24 is (10 + 20 + 24)/3 = 18."
- 5 a statistic describing the location of a distribution wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Financial loss due to damage to transported goods; compensation for damage or loss.
"Historically, the courts have allowed a general average claim only where the loss occurred as a result of the ship being in immediate peril.[…]The court awarded the carrier the general average claim. It noted that “a ship′s master should not be discouraged from taking timely action to avert a disaster,” and need not be in actual peril to claim general average."
- 7 (sports) the ratio of successful performances to opportunities wordnet
- 8 Financial loss due to damage to transported goods; compensation for damage or loss.; Proportional or equitable distribution of financial expense. dated
- 9 Financial loss due to damage to transported goods; compensation for damage or loss.; Customs duty or similar charge payable on transported goods. obsolete
- 10 An indication of a player's ability calculated from his scoring record, etc.
"batting average"
Verb
- 1 To compute the average of, especially the arithmetic mean. transitive
"If you average 10, 20 and 24, you get 18."
- 2 compute the average of wordnet
- 3 Over a period of time or across members of a population, to have or generate a mean value of. transitive
"The daily high temperature last month averaged 15°C."
- 4 achieve or reach on average wordnet
- 5 To divide among a number, according to a given proportion. transitive
"to average a loss"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 amount to or come to an average, without loss or gain wordnet
- 7 To be, generally or on average. intransitive
"Gulls average much larger than terns, with stouter build […]"
Adjective
- 1 Constituting or relating to the average. not-comparable
"The average age of the participants was 18.5."
- 2 Neither very good nor very bad; rated somewhere in the middle of all others in the same category.
"I soon found I was only an average chess player."
- 3 Typical.
"The average family will not need the more expensive features of this product."
- 4 Not outstanding, not good, banal; bad or poor. informal
"The graphics, sound, and most everything else are all very average. However, the main thing that brings this game down are the controls - they feel very clumsy and awkward at times."
Adjective
- 1 lacking special distinction, rank, or status; commonly encountered wordnet
- 2 around the middle of a scale of evaluation wordnet
- 3 approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value wordnet
- 4 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) wordnet
- 5 relating to or constituting the most frequent value in a distribution wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 lacking exceptional quality or ability wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Your marks were well below average this term."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "average"?
Common synonyms include: norm, academic mediocrity, acceptable, accustomed, adequate, amidships.
How do you use "average" in a sentence?
Your marks were well below average this term.
How do you pronounce "average"?
Pronounced /ˈæv(ə)ɹɪd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Not entirely certain. The oldest meaning in English is “customs duty”. Borrowed from Middle French avarie (“damage to ship or cargo”), from Old French avarie, from Old Italian avaria where it is first attested in the 12th century in the context of Mediterranean trade. From there most sources trace it to Arabic عَوَارِيَّة (ʕawāriyya, “damaged goods”), from عَوَار (ʕawār, “fault, blemish, defect, flaw”), from عَوِرَ (ʕawira, “to lose an eye”), but the OED gives it a Romance derivation from Italian avere (“property, goods”) or the like. The English suffix -age was added in analogy to words like damage.
Etymology 2
From Middle English average, from Medieval Latin averagium, from aver (“horse or other beast of burden, service required from the same”) from Old English eafor (“obligation to carry goods and convey messages for one's lord”) from aferian (“to remove, take away”); + -age.