middling

1 of 2

adjective

mid·​dling ˈmid-liŋ 

-lən

1

: of middle, medium, or moderate size, degree, or quality

2

: mediocre, second-rate

3

: of, relating to, or being a middle class

middling adverb

middlingly

ˈmid-liŋ-lē 

-lən-

adverb

middling

2 of 2

noun

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

Adjective

• average
• intermediate
• mean
• median
• medium
• middle
• midsize
• midsized
• moderate
• modest

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

Adjective

All of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe films have been slammed by critics and received middling reviews from audiences, and while some films have been commercially successful, several are among the worst-performing comic book films ever. —Conor Murray, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

Golf Channel’s live coverage of her recent middling pro-am appearance mirrored that of Tiger Woods’ heyday. —Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 10 Dec. 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

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing middling

• fair to middling

Kids Definition

middling

1 of 2 adjective

mid·​dling ˈmid-liŋ 

-lən

: of medium size, degree, or quality

middling adverb

middling

2 of 2 noun

1

: 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