happy medium
6
3.9
- noun
:
punto medio
- After much discussion, they agreed on a happy medium that balanced their competing interests.
So when you start combining those techniques, that's when it, you know, you can kind of, you know, find that that kind of happy medium between airbrushing and hand brushing.
- So when you start combining those techniques, that's when it, you know, you can kind of, you know, find that that kind of happy medium between airbrushing and hand brushing.
- So I think you got to create that happy medium of some hardcore gems with some storytelling and with some just don't go.
Examples
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Though I do feel there is a happy medium somewhere in between.
Blog text (17) -
However, there is such a thing as a happy medium, and those students who prefer a quieter space were left frustrated.
Academic text (2014) -
We're trying to find a happy medium here because she wants less volume.
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I hope you can find a happy medium and enjoy your wedding day.
Blog text (5) -
But there has to be a happy medium where there is communication in both directions.
Academic text (2010) -
Your goal is to find a happy medium between the two search metrics.
Blog text (27) -
There has to be some sort of happy medium between extreme traditionalism and extreme feminism.
Blog text (8) -
We're not hobby snobs, nor are we win-at-all-costs gamers, but have found that happy medium in between.
Blog text (14) -
We need to find a happy medium that satisfies both our budget and quality requirements.
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The negotiation resulted in a happy medium that both parties found acceptable.
Synonyms
28
4.6
A middle position between two extremes
A middle way between two extremes that offers a compromise
A moderate choice between two extremes in how you act or decide
Antonyms
How Balanced
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a satisfactory compromise between two extremes' is directly derivable from combining 'medium' (a middle state) with 'happy' (pleasing/satisfactory); together they signal a pleasing middle ground. This is a regular adjective + noun composition found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer the idiom's meaning.
Etymology
Happy medium comes from the simple image of a middle place that makes people pleased: happy (pleased) and medium (the middle). So, choosing a happy medium means finding a 'compromise' between two extremes that keeps everyone reasonably happy.