middling

[mid-ling]

adjective

1. medium, moderate, or average in size, quantity, or quality.

   The returns on such a large investment may be only middling.

2. mediocre; ordinary; commonplace; pedestrian.

   The restaurant's entrées are no better than middling.

3. Older Use.,  in fairly good health.

adverb

1. moderately; fairly.

noun

1. middlings, any of various products or commodities of intermediate quality, grade, size, etc., as the coarser particles of ground wheat mingled with bran.

2. Also called middling meat. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.,  Often middlings salt pork or smoked side meat.

middling

/ ˈmɪdlɪŋ /

adjective

1. mediocre in quality, size, etc; neither good nor bad, esp in health (often in the phrase fair to middling )

adverb

1. informal,  moderately

   middling well

Other Word Forms

• middlingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of middling¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English (north) medlinge (present participle) “coming between, middle”; mid ¹, -ling ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of middling¹

C15 (northern English and Scottish): from _mid ¹ + _-ling ²

Idioms and Phrases

see fair to middling.

Example Sentences

The Chiefs’ offense has shown signs of its explosive potential, but they own a middling 5-4 record.

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Britain's Best Home Cook on BBC One, for instance, achieved relatively middling ratings despite the combined star power of Winkleman and Mary Berry.

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Many companies have followed Procter & Gamble’s playbook of shedding middling brands and focusing on the biggest, most valuable franchises.

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But even though the Chiefs have a middling 5-4 record after this latest defeat, they might not be losing sleep over this loss.

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Diners found Cracker Barrel’s food middling and its service slow.

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Related Words

• mediocre 
• passable 
• run-of-the-mill 
• so-so