What does "middling" mean?
Something of intermediate or average size, position, or quality.
Middling
/ˈmɪdlɪŋ/ adj, adv, noun, slang
adj, adv, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something of intermediate or average size, position, or quality.
- Grammar: middling is listed as adj, adv, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: adequate, amidships, average, average.
- Useful contrasts: talented, aristocracy, concentrate.
- Usage evidence: Voters of the middling sort don't see it that way.
How to use "middling"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "middling" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "middling" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "middling" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "middling" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "middling" is acting as adj, adv, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adequate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "middling", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something of intermediate or average size, position, or quality.
"Middlings are less likely to adopt worker commitment than are Leaders, but the two groups are equally likely to adopt organisational responsibility. […] Middlings have not been able to effectively implement innovative environmental programmes and proactive social programmes."
- 2 any commodity of intermediate quality or size (especially when coarse particles of ground wheat are mixed with bran) wordnet
- 3 Something of intermediate or average size, position, or quality.; Preceded by the: people of moderate means; members of the middle class. in-plural
"The war had been significantly financed by the poor and the middling, who purchased bonds that quickly devalued from wartime inflation; debt speculators had bought much of this debt at a fraction of the original cost."
Adjective
- 1 Of intermediate or average size, position, or quality; mediocre.
"The football team is never the worst or best in its league; its position is always middling."
- 2 In fairly good health. British, colloquial, regional
"I am in a middling Way, between Healthy and Sick, hardly ever without a little Giddineſs or Deafneſs, and ſometimes both: So much for that."
Adjective
- 1 lacking exceptional quality or ability wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Fairly, moderately, somewhat. British, colloquial, regional
"St. Jerom ſeated, a middling ſized upright plate, from J. Palma, dated 1596. I think this is one of the fineſt prints by this great maſter. The drawing is admirable, and the engraving is executed with the utmoſt freedom."
- 2 Not too badly, with modest success. British, colloquial, regional
Adverb
- 1 to certain extent or degree wordnet
Example
"Voters of the middling sort don't see it that way."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "middling"?
Common synonyms include: adequate, amidships, average, average, average, average score.
How do you use "middling" in a sentence?
Voters of the middling sort don't see it that way.
How do you pronounce "middling"?
Pronounced /ˈmɪdlɪŋ/.
Etymology
The noun is probably from middle (noun) + -ing; the adjective is most likely derived from the noun, and the adverb from the adjective.