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
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Recent Examples of middling
Under first-year coach Sean Miller, Texas finished a middling 18-14 and lost five of its last six games.
—
American Statesman Sports Desk, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
The neutral-court loss to a middling Baylor team.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
People don’t feel strongly about middling contenders.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Results from a handful of studies were middling — and then the largest study demonstrating its efficacy was retracted in January.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middling
American Statesman Sports Desk, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
The neutral-court loss to a middling Baylor team.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
People don’t feel strongly about middling contenders.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Results from a handful of studies were middling — and then the largest study demonstrating its efficacy was retracted in January.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middling
Adjective
-
This double-digit spread is orders of magnitude greater than the historical average spread of fewer than $5.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Tiny Goliath Trounces an Even Tinier David<\/h2>
While the iPad will continue to help the average user get by with paying the bills or writing their next breakout sci-fi novel, while maybe even tweaking some family photos, the MacBook Neo’s superior processor does it all better.
—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Near triple-double for LaMelo Ball A little home cooking apparently served as decent fuel for LaMelo Ball.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
18 Mar. 2026
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Trout said the Bobcat pitchers actually did a decent job of getting ahead in the count against the Warhawks.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Data from the National Ski Areas Association shows the median age of skiers and snowboarders in the United States reached 37 during the 2023–24 season.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The exemption would apply to individuals earning under $46,000 annually — the median cost of living for a single adult with no children, according to the senator — or to couples earning $92,000.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The rest are mediocre at best, and gooey at worst.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The Oilers have been mediocre at times this season.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Hyland shoots with film cameras, in both medium and large formats, and her images of the meadow, often shot from a distance, are different from what Americans or Europeans would expect from mountain tourism.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
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Turn the heat to medium and toss well to coat the pasta, adding up to ¼ cup of the pasta water to thin it out a bit if necessary.—
Demi Lovato,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Safety, satisfactory customer service, and ensuring riders feel secure are best achieved by maintaining — and even increasing — staffing in transit systems.—
John Samuelsen,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
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Cavedon said the case centers on what happens if a person gives an answer that the officer doesn’t find satisfactory.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Many Catholic theologians believe that ordinary care and treatment such as feeding tubes, on the other hand, should be continued.—
Robert S. Olick,
The Conversation,
23 Mar. 2026
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Send no one back to Congress who will not commit to tax reform benefiting ordinary Americans.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The show, which runs through March 28, has a blistering message to impart about the insidious nature of authoritarian political movements and the dangers of being oblivious or indifferent.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
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Why insist on the past when the present seems indifferent to it?—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middling. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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