1
as in average
being about midway between extremes of amount or size
tired of the city but not particularly interested in small-town life, he moved to a suburb of middling size
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decent
of average to below average quality
was disappointed in the renowned historian's latest book, which is only middling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of middling
Through the first two middling periods of play, the Leafs had no business laughing or hoping to get out of British Columbia with a victory.
—
Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
That’s bad news for hundreds of middling private equity firms waiting for a lifeboat that may never come.
—Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Johnson said the Cowboys could make a run if the team can just improve to middling.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2026
That one features a middling 8-core Dimensity D7400 Ultra chipset, and starts at just INR 20,000 or US$218 (with higher RAM and storage configuration options available for just a few dollars more).
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middling
Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
That’s bad news for hundreds of middling private equity firms waiting for a lifeboat that may never come.
—Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Johnson said the Cowboys could make a run if the team can just improve to middling.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2026
That one features a middling 8-core Dimensity D7400 Ultra chipset, and starts at just INR 20,000 or US$218 (with higher RAM and storage configuration options available for just a few dollars more).
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middling
Adjective
-
Observations of transits of Venus, which only occur twice per century, on average (most recently in 2012), were humanity’s first indication that Venus possessed — whereas Mercury lacked — a substantial atmosphere.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The average transaction price (ATP) on a new vehicle hit $50,000 for the first time ever last fall, according to Kelley Blue Book.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Dolphins had a decent, although not necessarily strong 2025 draft class despite the fact all seven draftees got playing time last season, and five made at least one start.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Education isn’t a cure-all; North Korea appears to have decent schools yet is impoverished and totalitarian.—
Nicholas D. Kristof,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That means people who previously rented affordable housing — and who make close to the area’s median income — can more easily make the jump from subsidized apartments to market-rate homes.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Another recent Statesman analysis also found that some first responders earn far higher incomes by working long overtime hours, possibly driving up the median salaries for their respective agencies.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
When a team has a losing or mediocre season over several seasons shouldn’t the coach take some of the blame.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Hedda — the bored, mercurial and vicious wife of a mediocre academic — is known as the Hamlet of women’s roles because it’s widely considered the most complex female part ever written for the stage.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The medium-coverage foundation evened out my skin tone and covered a prominent birthmark, all while maintaining a luminous, skin-like finish.—
Genevieve Cepeda,
InStyle,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Cook at this high heat until the beef reaches 125°F for rare, 135°F for medium-rare, or 150°F for medium.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Roma wanted a satisfactory replacement signed before letting Tsimikas return.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Yeah … very satisfactory to hear that.—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Their goal with the video was to push back against the president’s domestic troop deployments, a trend his critics feared might lead to clashes with ordinary Americans or be used to interfere in upcoming elections.—
Missy Ryan,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Nothing out of the ordinary there, admittedly.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In his experiences and chronicles of the great ideological battles of the twentieth century, Curzio Malaparte was a shape-shifter—pitiless, clinical, cynical, unsentimental, indifferent to morality and idealism.—
Leah Downey,
The New York Review of Books,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The markets are not totally indifferent to what Europeans are going to do.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middling. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
