durchschnittliche

Durchschnittliche is a German adjective meaning average, typical, or not outstanding. It describes qualities, quantities, or patterns that lie in the middle of a distribution or that are common rather than exceptional. When used with a noun, it indicates a characteristic that is typical for the majority.

Etymology and form: The word is formed from the noun Durchschnitt (mean, mid-point) together with the adjectival suffix -lich. Like other German adjectives, durchschnittliche is declined to agree with the noun it modifies. Examples: die durchschnittliche Leistung (feminine singular, nominative), ein durchschnittlicher Wert (masculine singular), durchschnittliche Werte (plural, strong or mixed declension, depending on article).

Usage: durchschnittliche can be used attributively before nouns or predicatively. Examples: Die durchschnittliche Temperatur im Juli war hoch. Seine durchschnittliche Leistung genügte den Anforderungen. Wenn without an article, it can appear in the plural as durchschnittliche Werte. Predicative use: Die Ergebnisse sind durchschnittlich.

Nuance and related terms: The term often conveys mediocrity in everyday language, but neutrally it simply denotes typical or middle-range quality. Related forms include überdurchschnittlich (above average) and unterdurchschnittlich (below average). In statistical contexts, Durchschnitt is the noun for the arithmetic mean, while durchschnittlich as an adjective describes characteristics near or about that central tendency rather than the mean value itself.