MIDDLING Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

middling

adjective

ˈmid-liŋ

Definition of middling

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 The Tigers’ middling performance against Troy and sloppy play in spurts has cast some aspersions on their aspirations. — Pj Green september 22, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026 Although both Harris and Smulders reprised their roles in the mostly unrelated sitcom, HIMYF received middling reviews and was canceled after its second season — before audiences learned the identity of Sophie’s true love. — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2026 Over the 28 years since its release, the original Practical Magic, despite its dismal reviews and middling box-office reception, has accrued a sentimental affection from fans. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026 People think about everything as a matter of return on investment; for middling or bad teams, there is clearly more value in losing than in winning. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for middling

Recent Examples of Synonyms for middling

Adjective

The party has an average 8-point lead in generic congressional ballot polling, according to RealClearPolitics.

— Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026
Her special talent was to make historic gardening techniques and designs accessible for the average gardener, championing the potager—which combines flowers with useful, edible plants—and creating gardens for Elton John and the then Prince of Wales.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of average

Adjective

While the price can be inhibiting for some — with chef pants priced as high as $190 and jackets as much as $210, the price of a decent knife or other cooking tools — Argoti feels the heavy usage justifies the cost for him.

— Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
The other was a decent man constantly being tormented by God in order to test his faith.

— Chuck Lorre, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of decent

Adjective

Meet the new power couple—but there’s a catch DINKs have long been the couple to envy on paper, with a median household income of $193,900, compared with $151,900 for dual-income couples with kids, per Pew Research Center.

— Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Circana found that the median little treat costs $5, and the median price of consumers’ most expensive little treat is $10.

— Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of median

Adjective

The main downside is mediocre image quality due to limited color coverage and modest brightness, which largely limits it to lower-impact tasks like working with office documents and viewing web pages and short videos.

— Tony Hoffman, PC Magazine, 26 Sep. 2026
Being mediocre in the American League kept most teams in the postseason hunt, but the Royals couldn’t even manage that.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of mediocre

Adjective

After months of negotiations failed to yield a satisfactory agreement, the union approved strike action earlier this month in a vote held in tandem with unions at the Brooklyn Museum and American Folk Art Museum.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
The effort displayed by Kansas’ 14 men’s basketball players at Bill Self’s 24th annual Boot Camp proved satisfactory to the Hall of Fame Jayhawks coach.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of satisfactory

Adjective

Once considered an ordinary metal, it was found in 2019 to become superconducting below about 2 kelvins.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
Things that seem strange or even barbaric to us today were sometimes considered perfectly ordinary at another point in history.

— Jim Dudlicek, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of ordinary

Adjective

Its government, dominated by hardened veterans of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and largely indifferent to the suffering of the Iranian population, appears determined to fight on.

— RICHARD HAASS, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026
There’s expert work also from Pyle as a careworn law enforcement officer unable to remain indifferent to the taking of another life in the name of the law.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026