1
: of middle, medium, or moderate size, degree, or quality
2
3
: of, relating to, or being a middle class
middling
adverb
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
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
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
Thankfully, the high standards of a show as rock solid as this one mean that even a middling installment has plenty to offer.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 May 2025
Mark Story, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2025
After releasing its last big game, Destiny 2, in 2017, the once-industry leading studio has mostly focused on frequent updates and upheavals surrounding the cooperative online shooter — which have fluctuated in quality between middling (2023’s Lightfall) and groundbreaking (2024’s The Final Shape).
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for middling
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Adjective
Apart from Snow White’s box office woes, the film was met with middling reviews upon its theatrical release.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
Thankfully, the high standards of a show as rock solid as this one mean that even a middling installment has plenty to offer.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 May 2025
Noun
In a sense, the Kentucky Derby is to overall horse racing what the NCAA Tournament is to the men’s college basketball regular season: An anomalous cultural phenomenon that seems largely immune to the middling, at best, overall popularity of the underlying sport.
—Mark Story, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2025
After releasing its last big game, Destiny 2, in 2017, the once-industry leading studio has mostly focused on frequent updates and upheavals surrounding the cooperative online shooter — which have fluctuated in quality between middling (2023’s Lightfall) and groundbreaking (2024’s The Final Shape).
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for middling
Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middling. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
middling
1 of 2 adjective
mid·dling
ˈmid-liŋ 
-lən
: of medium size, degree, or quality
middling
adverb
middling
2 of 2 noun1
: 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
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