1
: of middle, medium, or moderate size, degree, or quality
2
: mediocre, second-rate
a middling performance
The food was fair to middling. [=not especially good]
3
: of, relating to, or being a middle class
middling
adverb
1
: any of various commodities of intermediate size, quality, or position
2
middlings plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: a granular product of grain milling
especially
: a wheat milling by-product used in animal feeds
Examples of middling in a Sentence
Adjective
tired of the city but not particularly interested in small-town life, he moved to a suburb of middling size
was disappointed in the renowned historian's latest book, which is only middling
Recent Examples on the Web
Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
While sitting next to 2006 Heat teammate Shaquille O’Neal for a pregame media session on Tuesday, Wade offered an honest assessment on this season’s middling Heat team.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
Jamie Holmes, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
This middle-aged — and middling — actor originally came to Tokyo to star in a big toothpaste commercial.
—Jocelyn Noveck, Boston Herald, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for middling
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Adjective
Mark Maye took on that bet as the Panthers were a middling franchise the year prior.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
While sitting next to 2006 Heat teammate Shaquille O’Neal for a pregame media session on Tuesday, Wade offered an honest assessment on this season’s middling Heat team.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
Noun
The pocketbook politicians who dominated the 20th century, who carried the United States through war, depression, and inflationary crises, were far from middling.
—Jamie Holmes, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
This middle-aged — and middling — actor originally came to Tokyo to star in a big toothpaste commercial.
—Jocelyn Noveck, Boston Herald, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for middling
Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middling. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
middling
1 of 2 adjective
mid·dling
ˈmid-liŋ 
-lən
: of medium size, degree, or quality
middling
adverb
middling
2 of 2 noun1
: any of various products of medium quality or size
2
plural
: a product produced by milling grain
especially
: a product of wheat milling that is used in animal feeds
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