in medias res

[ in me-di-ahs res; English in mee-dee-uhs reez, in mey-dee-ahs reys ]

adverb

, Latin.

1. in the middle of things.

in medias res

/ ɪn ˈmiːdɪˌæs ˈreɪs /

(no translation)

1. in or into the middle of events or a narrative

in medias res

1. In the middle of the action. Epics often begin in medias res. For example, the Odyssey, which tells the story of the wanderings of the hero Odysseus , begins almost at the end of his wanderings, just before his arrival home. In medias res is a Latin phrase used by the poet Horace ; it means “in the middle of things.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of in medias res¹

literally: into the midst of things, taken from a passage in Horace's Ars Poetica

Example Sentences

Even then, his epilogue ends in medias res — with a man who was raised in Port Jervis remembering how the white boys would bully Black boys like him.

From New York Times

This poem by Lyudmyla Khersonsky begins in medias res with a dead body rather than the death itself, followed by a pile of urgent questions.

From New York Times

Unlike the retrospective perspective of the 2012 film, “How to Survive a Pandemic” unfolds in medias res — which, given the immensity of the still-ongoing crisis, is both the film’s strength and weakness.

From New York Times

It's quite the in medias res opener in a hospital emergency room with nearly the entire cast picking up straight where the season 1 finale left off.

From Salon

The story ends not exactly in medias res, but on a beat that begs continuation.

From New York Times