middling

American  

[mid-ling] / ˈmɪd lɪŋ /

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.

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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 British  

/ ˈmɪdlɪŋ /

adjective

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

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adverb

1. informal moderately

   middling well

middling Idioms  

1. see fair to middling.

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Other Word Forms

• middlingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of middling

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

Explanation

If something is middling, it isn't terrible and it isn't great — it's mediocre. You might describe your chances of beating your dad at tennis as middling. You'll frequently find this adjective in the phrase "fair to middling," or sometimes "good to middling." This American colloquialism has been used since the early 17th century to mean "slightly above average," and it originally referred to the quality of farm goods. Today you can use it to rate or grade anything, so you might say, "I thought this peach would be juicy and perfectly ripe, but it's fair to middling."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

middling

The film opens Friday and has received middling reviews.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

The jokes here are very familiar stuff, but as predictable as they are, they’re breezy fun, and “TS5” is an enjoyable if middling Pixar offering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

It’s also a full 22 points above Los Angeles, which has a middling score of 69.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

In so much of modern cinema, “fun” has replaced “safe,” a new adjective with a better connotation meant to save middling films from themselves.

From Salon ● May 27, 2026

On the day Seabiscuit settled in at the Detroit Fair Grounds, Pollard was in North Randall, Ohio, sweltering through August at a middling racetrack called Thistle Down Park, which was wrapping up its summer meeting.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

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