middle ground

noun

1. an intermediate position, area, or recourse between two opposites or extremes; a halfway or neutral standpoint.
2. middle distance ( def 1 ).
3. Nautical. a length of comparatively shallow water having channels on both sides.

middle ground

noun

1. another term for middle distance See middle-distance
2. a position of compromise between two opposing views, parties, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of middle ground¹

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

In Pete Wells's review for The Noortwyck in The New York Times last November, he wrote that Chef Andy Quinn "finds the middle ground between grandeur and informality," adding that he's "exacting and precise, with a whole arsenal of skills and a minimalist sensibility that calls for most of the technical stuff to be tucked quietly into dishes that look simple and straightforward, even when they’re not."

From Salon

Few people have a middle ground when it comes to Trump.

From BBC

He said that he felt “this real anger for those people” and that he was working on finding a “divine middle ground” with his sexuality that artists like Queen’s Freddie Mercury had.

From Los Angeles Times

Neither you nor I nor anyone else has the slightest idea whether the Harris campaign’s scramble for the patriotic middle ground will reel in the potentially decisive electoral votes of Michigan or Arizona or North Carolina.

From Salon

Democrats seek the center blindly, often mistaking Washington’s perceived middle ground for America’s, although the two don’t look anything alike.

From Salon