hot medium

noun

Any medium that is rich in sensory data (e.g. high-definition film) and thus requires relatively little involvement by the viewer, reader, etc. in order to be consumed.

Opposite
cool medium
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Meanings

nounhot medium (plural hot media)

plural hot media

  1. Any medium that is rich in sensory data (e.g. high-definition film) and thus requires relatively little involvement by the viewer, reader, etc. in order to be consumed.

    Antonyms: cool medium

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAny medium that is rich in sensory data (e.g. high-definition film) and thus requires relatively little involvement by the viewer, reader, etc. in order to be consumed.

Opposite
cool medium

Origin

Coined by Marshall McLuhan, based on French anthropologist Lévi-Strauss' distinction between hot and cold societies.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hot medium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hot%20medium

MLA

“hot medium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hot%20medium. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hot medium,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hot%20medium.

Source: hot medium on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.