middle

¹mid·dle

adjective \ˈmi-d^əl\

Definition of MIDDLE

1

: equally distant from the extremes : medial, central <the middle house in the row>

2

: being at neither extreme : intermediate

3

capitalized

a : constituting a division intermediate between those prior and later or upper and lower <Middle Paleozoic>

b : constituting a period of a language or literature intermediate between one called Old and one called New or Modern <Middle Dutch>

4

of a verb form or voice : typically asserting that a person or thing both performs and is affected by the action represented

Examples of MIDDLE

1. during the century's middle decades
2. High temperatures today should be in the middle 80s.
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt's middle initial stood for “Delano.”

Origin of MIDDLE

Middle English middel, from Old English; akin to Old English midde

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to MIDDLE

Synonyms

central, halfway, intermediary, intermediate, medial, median, mediate, medium, mid, midmost

Antonyms

extreme, farthest, farthermost, furthermost, furthest, outermost, outmost, remotest, utmost

Related Words

equidistant; inmost, inner, innermost, nearest; betwixt and between, borderline, gray (also grey), in-between

Near Antonyms

outer, peripheral

Rhymes with MIDDLE

diddle, fiddle, griddle, piddle, riddle, twiddle

²middle

noun

Definition of MIDDLE

1

: a middle part, point, or position

2

: the central portion of the human body : waist

3

: the position of being among or in the midst of something <in the middle of the crowd>

4

: something intermediate between extremes : mean

5

: the center of an offensive or defensive formation; especially : the area between the second baseman and the shortstop

— middle of nowhere

: an extremely remote and isolated place <ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere>

Examples of MIDDLE

1. A good essay will have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
2. He stood exactly in the middle of the room.
3. She opened the book to the middle and began to read.
4. The car stopped in the middle of the road.
5. The house should be finished by the middle of next summer.
6. The beginning and ending of the movie were good, but the middle was pretty boring.
7. She put her arms around his middle.
8. He tied the sash around his middle.

First Known Use of MIDDLE

before 12th century

Related to MIDDLE

Synonyms

golden mean, medium, mean, middle ground, midpoint

Antonyms

perimeter, periphery

Related Words

arithmetic mean, average; median, norm, par, standard

Near Antonyms

maximum, utmost; minimum