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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middling
Adjective
-
Olathe’s trajectory mirrors what’s happening across Johnson County — which saw more than 90% of the homes go up in value in 2024, with the average home prices sitting at $508,000 and average sale price at $557,000.—
-
In fact, a 2023 study found that child prodigies tend to earn more and have more career success than the average person.—
Adjective
-
To be sure, that was a decent salary back then, and would be equivalent to roughly $114,000 today.—
-
On Wednesday, the Tigers earned a commitment from former Mississippi State offensive lineman Luke Work, who has decent experience at every position along the offensive line except center.—
Adjective
-
The median salary is $75,190, and the top 10% of earners get $121,200.—
-
For students who graduated this year with an MD degree from a four-year medical school in the United States, the median cost of attendance was $318,825, according to Kristen Earle, director of student financial services at the Association of American Medical Colleges.—
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.—
-
The final conclusion on the draftees and free agents is likely similar to the final conclusion on each these seasons — mediocre-ish.—
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.—
-
Many appreciate that the wide and medium-width options allow for a more accurate fit, too.—
Adjective
-
But the Outback is satisfactory in both categories.—
-
Storage Solutions Just one simple medicine cabinet in the bathroom is no longer satisfactory for today's homebuyers, who crave an abundance of storage.—
Adjective
-
Filming the stairs and seeing the response affirmed that her experience was, in fact, out of the ordinary.—
-
That means ordinary users cannot easily guess when Gen AI is reliable.—
Adjective
-
Our forefathers fought the American Revolution to get away from a tyrannical monarch and indifferent legislators, not to create our own homegrown version of it.—
-
The captives perch preciously on the head of a slave trader who looks straight ahead, indifferent to the others’ suffering.—
Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middling. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share