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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of middling
After a middling 2-3 start to the season, the wheels have absolutely fallen off the Giants.
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Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
The Spartans, who have a good deal of size throughout the roster unlike West Virginia, had a middling defense a year ago.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
There’s plenty of spectacle — a re-creation of the Roman Forum was the largest set ever built at the time — but the execution is middling and the story is tired.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the black comedy earned mixed reviews and middling B.O., but there was something about its mix of camp and surreal, body-contorting special effects that developed a following over the years.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for middling 
Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
The Spartans, who have a good deal of size throughout the roster unlike West Virginia, had a middling defense a year ago.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
There’s plenty of spectacle — a re-creation of the Roman Forum was the largest set ever built at the time — but the execution is middling and the story is tired.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the black comedy earned mixed reviews and middling B.O., but there was something about its mix of camp and surreal, body-contorting special effects that developed a following over the years.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for middling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middling
Adjective
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Their average winning margin in their seven home wins thus far is 4.7 points.Michael Salfino, The Athletic, 12 Dec. 2024
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Butter 215 mg Shrimp 125 mg Cheese 108 mg Beef 90 mg Chicken 88 mg Pork 80 mg Ice cream 47 mg The average U.S. man consumes around 348 milligrams of cholesterol per day, and the average U.S. woman consumes around 242 milligrams.Jillian Kubala, Health, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But this would be a practical and necessary change — to allow a decent time period for transition while also preventing various abuses and inefficiencies.Guy Ciarrocchi, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Dec. 2024
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Barron is a good skater with a decent shot and strong offensive instincts, but his game in his own end has suffered from moments of indecision and a lack of assertiveness in killing plays, leading to extended shifts in the defensive zone.Arpon Basu, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The company reports that the median user interaction lasts 60 seconds.Spencer Dorn, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
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Over the past century, the median new home build has more than doubled in size, from just over 1k sq. ft. to nearly 2.5k sq. ft.Zachary Crockett, thehustle.co, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The bridge's deck was found to be in satisfactory condition, while the substructure was in fair condition.Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 5 Dec. 2024
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Overall, the team is running smoothly but one individual, who previously didn’t have any issues, is now struggling: missing deadlines, not catching mistakes, not completing assignments in a satisfactory way.Eva Epker, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Place the cream and butter in a small saucepan and set the pan over medium heat.Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024
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Layer and Chill In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, and the remaining 1/8 tsp.Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Sam Darnold and the Vikings offense was mediocre until the late stages of the third quarter, and that was not the way to respond after the Lions lost to the Bills.Steve Silverman, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
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This move is a clear indication that Chicago is looking to win in 2025 rather than repeat the mediocre season from 2024.Zach Pressnell, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Bénédictine brings a lovely honeyed spice, which folds beautifully into rye (see: the Monte Carlo) and is well-accented by absinthe (see: the Chrysanthemum), but taken in such quantities would be out of the ordinary indeed.Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 7 Dec. 2024
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Smith said this year’s fire season is gearing up to be slightly longer than usual but is not particularly out of the ordinary.Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges of using excessive force and being indifferent to Nichols’ serious injuries.Adrian Sainz and Jonathan Mattise, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
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This includes going from feeling very happy, irritable, with a marked increase in activity level (mania), to feeling sad, indifferent, or hopeless with very low activity levels (depression).New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near middling
Cite this Entry
“Middling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middling. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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