middling

adjective

mid·dling | \ ˈmid-liŋ

, -lən\

Definition of middling

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

2 : mediocre, second-rate

3 : of, relating to, or being a middle class

middling

noun

Definition of middling (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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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

Reaction to the tip: No untoward reaction to cash payment and middling gratuity. — Fox, Town & Country, "A Table for Mr. Fox," 21 Nov. 2012 Police began using strobing versions of these flashlights, but still with middling effects. — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, "The Long, Weird History of Strobe Weapons," 11 Feb. 2019 This movie, from director Cameron Crowe (and produced by James L. Brooks) is far too sophisticated for such a middling finale. — Vogue, "The 55 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time," 1 Feb. 2019 But with the exception of rare historical pivot points, the choice is between conflict or tension, on the one hand, and a middling, problematic compromise, on the other. — Thanassis Cambanis, BostonGlobe.com, "Stop trying to fix everything," 16 Feb. 2018 The stock price had been slumping, and longtime CEO Jeff Immelt had just stepped down after a frustratingly middling 16-year tenure. — Thomas Gryta And Ted Mann, WSJ, "GE Powered the American Century—Then It Burned Out," 14 Dec. 2018 Two other new releases arrived to middling returns. — Erich Schwartzel, WSJ, "Less-Than-‘Fantastic’ Start for Harry Potter Spinoff," 18 Nov. 2018 The team also robbed the Marlins of righty Luis Castillo and his electric arm in exchange for the middling Dan Straily last year. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "The Reds Fired Manager Bryan Price, But That Won't Save the Perpetually Rebuilding Franchise," 19 Apr. 2018 Jason Riley uses New York as the poster child for high spending in education with only middling test scores. — WSJ, "Teachers’ Input Vs. Output," 6 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'middling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.