1
as in average
being about midway between extremes of amount or size
tired of the city but not particularly interested in small-town life, he moved to a suburb of middling size
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decent
of average to below average quality
was disappointed in the renowned historian's latest book, which is only middling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of middling
People with middling to large social media followings have played a significant role in boosting gubernatorial candidates Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra, who are competing for the top of the Democratic field in the governor’s race ahead of the June 2 primary.
—
Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026
Plenty of coaches who have been assistants under Saban have had middling and forgettable careers as head coaches.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
Indeed, The Hunting Party, about a team tasked with tracking down and capturing dangerous killers, has been a middling linear performer, holding onto a little over half of its SVU lead-in.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Those might come in handy since what happened Friday night at Petco Park was more like what a team with a bottom-10 offense and a middling pitching staff could be expected to look like.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for middling
Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026
Plenty of coaches who have been assistants under Saban have had middling and forgettable careers as head coaches.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
Indeed, The Hunting Party, about a team tasked with tracking down and capturing dangerous killers, has been a middling linear performer, holding onto a little over half of its SVU lead-in.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Those might come in handy since what happened Friday night at Petco Park was more like what a team with a bottom-10 offense and a middling pitching staff could be expected to look like.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for middling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middling
Adjective
-
Robert Reich of the University of California, Berkeley, wrote recently that average Americans pay a 14% tax rate, but billionaires pay less than 2%.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
-
The Marshalls, who now own an architectural firm called Back Forty Buildings that services hundreds of families across the country with barndominium or rural home plans, estimate that the average person makes about 40,000 decisions in planning and building a home.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Kochanowicz got off to a decent start, despite getting hit in the foot by a sharp comebacker.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
-
Overall, Edeme does feel like the industry, including mainstream media outlets, have done a decent job in giving her her flowers.—
Susan Akyeampong,
Allure,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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And while the report shows that Miami’s overall median rent is dropping, Zumper’s data for some Miami-Dade neighborhoods and municipalities shows the opposite trend.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
-
Black women are diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger median age (60, compared with 62 for white women) and are 38% more likely to die from the disease.—
Ayren Jackson-Cannady,
SELF,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Winnipeg’s power play was mediocre last season; a merely average 20 percent rate would have been worth three or four more goals.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
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Those references were firmly planted in 2010s millennial nostalgia, which is reflected in the characters, particularly Oscar Isaac’s Josh Martin, the general manager of an exclusive California country club and a mediocre synth player who’s a huge fan of the English pop band Hot Chip.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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These medium candles come in a frosted jar with fragrances composed of essential oils.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
The hamburger chain announced that on National Hamburger Day, Thursday, May 28, Whataburger Rewards members can order a medium order of fries and a medium drink, either online or by scanning the app in-store, and get a free Whataburger.—
Natassia Paloma,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
At this price point, the panel is satisfactory.—
Ben Sin,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
And it’s been met with satisfactory approval.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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Trump has effectively cast journalists as a separate special-interest group—apart from ordinary American citizens.—
Adrienne LaFrance,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
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For ordinary consumer debts, a debt collector almost always needs a court judgment before garnishing anything.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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But that leaves the majority of the workforce somewhere between indifferent and actively anxious — and anxious is where the story gets alarming.—
Matt Rosenbaum,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
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Teams do not need leaders who are indifferent to how people feel.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middling. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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