middling

1 of 2

adjective

mid·​dling ˈmid-liŋ 

-lən

1

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

2

: mediocre, second-rate

3

: of, relating to, or being a middle class

middling adverb

middlingly

ˈmid-liŋ-lē 

-lən-

adverb

middling

2 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• average
• median

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

A lot will need to go right for the Celtics to exceed their middling expectations. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 22 Oct. 2025

Anything that’s just middling won’t stick. —Brian Welk, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2025

Noun

To the end of the 2023-24 season, Liverpool owed a net £69.9m in transfer fees to other clubs, by far the lowest transfer debt of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ and pretty much middling across the division. —Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 29 July 2025

As with the other drills, the results ranged from middling (that was mine) to quite good. —Dan Morrison, USA Today, 26 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing middling

• fair to middling

Kids Definition

middling

1 of 2 adjective

mid·​dling ˈmid-liŋ 

-lən

: of medium size, degree, or quality

middling adverb

middling

2 of 2 noun

1

: 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