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
What should be a tender, feminist-minded story centered on a young woman rediscovering her dormant childhood dreamer turns into a middling melodrama about being with a cute guy in desperate need of her rescue.
—
Courtney Howard, Variety, 1 Aug. 2025
But in a wide-open AL playoff picture in which teams like the Yankees got better, Breslow instead took a middling path.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
Watching the film removed from its time — and from the divorce proceedings of Penn and Madonna that vacuumed up whatever attention the media was prepared to allot the movie — its middling reputation is baffling.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 31 July 2025
But thanks to even worse reviews and middling returns on the second movie’s higher budget versus its box-office take — $130 million to produce, $301 million globally — FF: RotSS effectively put the franchise on ice for the next eight years.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for middling
Courtney Howard, Variety, 1 Aug. 2025
But in a wide-open AL playoff picture in which teams like the Yankees got better, Breslow instead took a middling path.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
Watching the film removed from its time — and from the divorce proceedings of Penn and Madonna that vacuumed up whatever attention the media was prepared to allot the movie — its middling reputation is baffling.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 31 July 2025
But thanks to even worse reviews and middling returns on the second movie’s higher budget versus its box-office take — $130 million to produce, $301 million globally — FF: RotSS effectively put the franchise on ice for the next eight years.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for middling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middling
Adjective
-
For Steele, the trip was markedly different from the average — massive camera crew aside — in both practical and intangible ways.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
-
That’s up 3% on average, compared with the start of the 2024 school year.—
Jessica Dickler,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Leadership failures left many people without work to do or decent conditions in which to live.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Only a few Braves have been good at it, and too many of them cost the team repeatedly in close games when merely decent RISP hitting would make a difference.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The manufacturers that produce these gases typically are located in communities where the people are Black, Latino or Native American and earn less money than the state median income.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
16 Aug. 2025
-
New Jersey stayed the third-best state to live in, having a high median household income, low rate of poverty, high life expectancy, and low crime rate.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Development of the two latter categories is not particularly satisfactory, Hugo Boss conceded.—
Cathrin Schaer,
Footwear News,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Those sellers must be enrolled in a production services program, have a report showing the animals producing their milk have been tested for pathogens and have a satisfactory farm water test on file.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Available in silver or gold, the trio includes small, medium, and large sculptural hoops that feel both trend-forward and timeless.—
Lauren Alexis Fisher,
Footwear News,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The administration of the plant was offered as an investment project in 2021, according to a document by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment. Micro, small and medium enterprises Agencia Importadora Caribe Surl, an importing company.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
In a season of parity and mediocre first-place teams, the Mariners are trying to set themselves apart.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
31 July 2025
-
And prospects are mediocre for the coming months, given the 15% tariff, or import tax, imposed on European goods in the U.S. under the EU-U.S. trade deal announced Sunday.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Max Klymenko has had anything but an ordinary career path, and now the 30-year-old is guessing what other people do for a living, all while standing on a ladder.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Ultimately, through saving each other, Seong-A and Gyeon-U reclaim their humanity and return to an ordinary life of youth.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
After nearly two decades of indifferent pursuit of the project, the state’s leaders are rallying behind it.—
Joe Mathews,
Mercury News,
2 Aug. 2025
-
The administration’s storyline has repeatedly set up a binary between climate action and economic prosperity, painting advocates of the former as indifferent to the latter.—
Henna Hundal,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middling. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share