1
: of middle, medium, or moderate size, degree, or quality
2
3
: of, relating to, or being a middle class
middling
adverb
1
: any of various commodities of intermediate size, quality, or position
2
middlings plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: a granular product of grain milling
especially
: a wheat milling by-product used in animal feeds
Synonyms
Examples of middling in a Sentence
Adjective
tired of the city but not particularly interested in small-town life, he moved to a suburb of middling size
was disappointed in the renowned historian's latest book, which is only middling
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan Alexander, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024
After worries about the U.S. economy and other hiccups in global markets briefly sent the S&P 500 nearly 10% below its all-time high last month, the S&P 500 is just one middling day away from its record on excitement about coming cuts to interest rates.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024
Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 3 Aug. 2022
Somewhere middling in the postmatch emotional spectrum was Victor Marks-Jenkins (157).
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for middling 
Adjective
Once a middling part of his empire, his golf and club business has become a cash gusher, a way to literally sell access to the most famous man on earth in the form of sky-high initiation fees.
—Dan Alexander, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024
After worries about the U.S. economy and other hiccups in global markets briefly sent the S&P 500 nearly 10% below its all-time high last month, the S&P 500 is just one middling day away from its record on excitement about coming cuts to interest rates.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024
Noun
Inevitably, many middling and smaller powers will straddle divides and seek to balance their ties to greater powers.
—Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 3 Aug. 2022
Somewhere middling in the postmatch emotional spectrum was Victor Marks-Jenkins (157).
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for middling
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'middling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middling. Accessed 28 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
middling
1 of 2 adjective
mid·dling
ˈmid-liŋ 
-lən
: of medium size, degree, or quality
middling
adverb
middling
2 of 2 noun1
: any of various products of medium quality or size
2
plural
: a product produced by milling grain
especially
: a product of wheat milling that is used in animal feeds
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