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TinaMr Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary

"golden mean" / "happy medium"

Are "golden mean" and "happy medium" synonyms? Do they need an article? If so, the definite or indefinite one?
Thank you very much!
  

Top answer

In the sense of "satisfactory compromise between two extremes", I would say that "happy medium" is quite a bit more common. ) that occurs to me first. An article is needed.

— GPY

  • In the sense of "satisfactory compromise between two extremes", I would say that "happy medium" is quite a bit more common.
  • ) that occurs to me first.
  • An article is needed.
  • With "happy medium", both articles are possible, depending on context.
  • We need to find a happy medium.
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3 Answers
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In the sense of "satisfactory compromise between two extremes", I would say that "happy medium" is quite a bit more common. In the case of "golden mean", it is the mathematical meaning (the ratio 1.618...) that occurs to me first.

An article is needed. With "happy medium", both articles are possible, depending on context.

We need to find a happy medium.
I am content
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GPY, thank you very much! So, "golden mean" is not used in the same sense like "happy medium".
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TinaMrGPY, thank you very much! So, "golden mean" is not used in the same sense like "happy medium".
Yes, I think it sometimes is used that way, but it is not so common in my experience.
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