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

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 But getting the entire line to round into form during the spring is critical, as Temple needs to improve on last year’s middling numbers in the running game. — Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, "American Athletic teams start chase of Central Florida at spring practice," 26 Mar. 2018 Miami's interest in Melo finds a team aware of its middling situation trying to find a bridge to relevance, any bridge, even a temporary one, even one that is creaking a bit. — Greg Cote, miamiherald, "Melo to Miami? How Heat’s interest in Carmelo Anthony reveals one team’s desperation," 11 July 2018 Those who knew him then describe Benson as an average student in school and a middling athlete, the kind of kid who could blend in easily. — Mike Scott, NOLA.com, "Tom Benson, hometown kid: 1 of 300," 23 Feb. 2018 By all accounts, the New England Revolution didn’t bring their A-game to Gillette Stadium on Saturday, a sultry evening that pitted coach Brad Friedel’s club against middling D.C. United. — Owen Pence, BostonGlobe.com, "Revolution hold off D.C. United," 1 July 2018 After graduating from Capistrano Valley High School with middling grades, Vardakostas headed to nearby Saddleback College. — Lauren Smiley, WIRED, "The Mission to Build the Ultimate Burger Bot," 21 June 2018 Thus far, workers’ earnings have yet to break out from their middling pace. — Don Lee, latimes.com, "Fed raises interest rates and predicts faster pace of future increases," 14 June 2018 He, of course, being Andrew Luck, the $140 million, three-time Pro Bowl quarterback and the biggest source of optimism – and concern – on this otherwise middling NFL roster. — Zak Keefer, Indianapolis Star, "Colts 'not worried' about Andrew Luck: He’ll throw when he throws," 23 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.