middle-of-the-road
Americanadjective
-
favoring, following, or characterized by an intermediate position between two extremes, especially in politics; moderate.
-
of, relating to, or describing a type of popular music that avoids extremes of style and is catchy and tuneful enough to have broad appeal. MOR
noun
adjective
-
not extreme, esp in political views; moderate
-
of, denoting, or relating to popular music having a wide general appeal
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of middle-of-the-road
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Clarke's side's expected goals tally is middle-of-the-road but has been underperformed by 1.6.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
That middle-of-the-road phrasing is a result of the rising perils of wading into hot-button issues in recent years.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
The team’s middle-of-the-road defense had no answer for Phoenix’s dizzying offense that shot 57% from the field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
So, its end is easy to celebrate as a triumph of reason and of middle-of-the-road politics.
From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2025
Present day chemists would acquiesce in this statement after reading Mitchill's "middle-of-the-road" arguments.
From Priestley in America 1794-1804 by Smith, Edgar Fahs
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
