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
In the end, consumers appear to have produced a middling holiday season for retailers, with sales gains that appear to have just outpaced inflation.
—
Evan Clark, Footwear News, 5 Jan. 2026
The Hawks have injuries and key players missing, but this was teetering before Young got back into the mix, and Atlanta has a middling offense with a bad defense.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Not every change that came with this expansion was for the worse; as the cast grew up and some of the original kids could no longer use cuteness to conceal middling talent, Stranger Things added more skilled performers, like Sadie Sink and Maya Hawke.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
After two middling seasons, former head coach Jim Mora promoted Sammis to offensive coordinator in 2024 and helped turn the program around, as UConn won nine games in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for middling
Evan Clark, Footwear News, 5 Jan. 2026
The Hawks have injuries and key players missing, but this was teetering before Young got back into the mix, and Atlanta has a middling offense with a bad defense.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Not every change that came with this expansion was for the worse; as the cast grew up and some of the original kids could no longer use cuteness to conceal middling talent, Stranger Things added more skilled performers, like Sadie Sink and Maya Hawke.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
After two middling seasons, former head coach Jim Mora promoted Sammis to offensive coordinator in 2024 and helped turn the program around, as UConn won nine games in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for middling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middling
Adjective
-
Higher Revenues With Ads Investors are intensely focused on average revenue per membership.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Sherwood’s camp reportedly turned down a recent Canucks offer on an extension that was around three or four years in length with an average annual value of $4 million.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The money could also help towards landing Alvarez, but alternatively perhaps acquire a decent full back available at a cut rate considering Joao Cancelo is only in Catalonia on loan too.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The Huskies have decent depth at the position in three-star incoming freshman Bo Polston, who was the first of several players to flip his commitment from Toledo, and Tucker McDonald, who pulled his name from the portal to stay in Storrs for his redshirt junior season.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
According to the Realtors group, the statewide median home price will climb to a record of $905,000 in 2026.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The upper limit of affordable housing in Florida typically has rent that does not exceed 30% of the income of someone making 120% of the area’s median income.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And what this array of talents had gotten them was a shitty job in a town outside Munich in the second division of a mediocre German league.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The final conclusion on the draftees and free agents is likely similar to the final conclusion on each these seasons — mediocre-ish.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Place eggs, half-and-half, flour, and baking powder in a blender; process on medium speed until smooth and slightly foamy, about 30 seconds.—
Ivy Odom,
Southern Living,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Many appreciate that the wide and medium-width options allow for a more accurate fit, too.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Air quality is satisfactory and air pollution poses little or no risk.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
15 Jan. 2026
-
And yet no analytical framework ever yields a fully satisfactory result.—
Amir Ahmadi Arian,
The Dial,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Filming the stairs and seeing the response affirmed that her experience was, in fact, out of the ordinary.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
-
That means ordinary users cannot easily guess when Gen AI is reliable.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Two of the monkeys had applauded the event with hopping and grunts, but the other three had shot like arrows into the trees, chasing after the peculiar bird that had remained indifferent to their antics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Plus, Ben travelled to Ukraine and hasn’t been indifferent in terms of politics.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middling. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
