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
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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
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Recent Examples of middling
The trio of Devin Booker, Durant and Beal had middling results on the court.
—
Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 22 June 2025
Starfleet Command is always watching—complete the minimum number of objectives and an admiral will give you a middling performance review.
—ArsTechnica, 10 July 2025
The Dolphins, meanwhile, were a middling team in that area, scoring touchdowns on just 56.6% of their attempts, which ranked 16th in the league.
—Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
The next game in the popular Kingdom Hearts series has just been cancelled, after a lengthy development period and middling reception to early beta tests failed to yield a favorable outcome for the game.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for middling
Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 22 June 2025
Starfleet Command is always watching—complete the minimum number of objectives and an admiral will give you a middling performance review.
—ArsTechnica, 10 July 2025
The Dolphins, meanwhile, were a middling team in that area, scoring touchdowns on just 56.6% of their attempts, which ranked 16th in the league.
—Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
The next game in the popular Kingdom Hearts series has just been cancelled, after a lengthy development period and middling reception to early beta tests failed to yield a favorable outcome for the game.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for middling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middling
Adjective
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The average length of care per month jumped from roughly two months in December 2024 to more than five months by May 2025, according to HHS data.—
Nicol León,
AZCentral.com,
22 July 2025
-
The average American adult uses about 12 personal care products a day, Consumer Reports says, resulting in exposure to an average of 168 chemicals.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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Jimenez is a decent prospect to send to a division foe in exchange for a rental pitcher and a glorified project in Dobnak.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
29 July 2025
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Either could be combined with a trade-in if Google is running a decent deal.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
The median overtime pay for those rangers was $567.—
Maritza Dominguez,
AZCentral.com,
24 July 2025
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With fewer businesses selling, the median sale price also fell by 6% on a year-over-year basis to $352,000.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
One factor that now seems to ensure a satisfactory resolution for both parties is the resurrection of the NFL’s interest in taking an equity stake in ESPN, rumors of which first began circulating in early 2024.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
25 July 2025
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The plane’s fuel was tested and found to be of satisfactory quality, and no significant bird activity is observed in the vicinity of the flight path, according to the report.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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And even better, Dunkin’ Rewards members can enjoy all medium Refreshers for $3 through Aug. 19, though additional charges, terms, and exclusions may apply, and participating locations may vary.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
30 July 2025
-
From small to medium businesses benefiting as the workforce grows, to infrastructure developments that will change the quality of life for all.—
Allan Swan,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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To that end, consider not who is best, but rather how an uptick from an individual component could make the overall product something, well, less mediocre.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
26 July 2025
-
Previous big-screen adaptations of the Fantastic Four weren't critical successes; the '05 and '07 movies are mediocre cheese at best and the Josh Trank movie from 2015 is downright reviled.—
James Grebey,
Time,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Netflix's The Sandman has love stories that are tangled, tragic and anything but ordinary — a stark contrast to the cast's real-life romances.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
31 July 2025
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Welcome back to Elmore, where the laws of reality are a joke, and family life is anything but ordinary.—
DeVonne Goode,
Parents,
31 July 2025
Adjective
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The people who ran it could be irresponsible and indifferent to human suffering.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
24 July 2025
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Many are archaically hard-line on Communism, in favor of the Vietnam War, untroubled by military power: in a word, indifferent or hostile to what most concerns their younger partisans.—
John Kenneth Galbraith,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middling. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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