middling

[ mid-ling ]

/ ˈmɪd lɪŋ /

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adjective

medium, moderate, oraverage in size, quantity, or quality: The returns on such a large investment may be only middling.

mediocre; ordinary; commonplace; pedestrian: The restaurant's entrées are no better than middling.

Older Use. in fairly good health.

adverb

moderately; fairly.

noun

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

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

Nearby words

middleton, thomas, middletone, middletown, middleware, middleweight, middling, middlingly, middlings, middx, middy, middy blouse

Origin of middling

1375–1425; late Middle English (north). See mid¹, -ling²

Related forms

mid·dling·ly, adverb

Definition for middling (2 of 2)

middle

[ mid-l ]

/ ˈmɪd l /

adjective

equally distant from the extremes or outer limits; central: the middle point of a line; the middle singer in a trio.

intermediate or intervening: the middle distance.

medium or average: a man of middle size.

(initial capital letter) (in the history of a language) intermediate between periods classified as Old and New or Modern: Middle English.

Grammar. (in some languages) noting a voice of verb inflection in which the subject is represented as acting on or for itself, in contrast to the active voice in which the subject acts, and the passive voice in which the subject is acted upon, as in Greek, egrapsámēn “I wrote for myself,” égrapsa “I wrote,” egráphēn “I was written.”

(often initial capital letter) Stratigraphy. noting the division intermediate between the upper and lower divisions of a period, system, or the like: the Middle Devonian.

noun

the point, part, position, etc., equidistant from extremes or limits.

the central part of the human body, especially the waist: He gave him a punch in the middle.

something intermediate; mean.

(in farming) the ground between two rows of plants.

verb (used with or without object), mid·dled, mid·dling.

Chiefly Nautical. to fold in half.

Origin of middle

before 900; Middle English, Old English middel; cognate with German mittel; akin to Old Norse methal among. See mid¹

SYNONYMS FOR middle

1 equidistant, halfway, medial, midway.

7 midpoint. Middle, center, midst indicate something from which two or more other things are (approximately or exactly) equally distant. Middle denotes, literally or figuratively, the point or part equidistant from or intermediate between extremes or limits in space or in time: the middle of a road. Center, a more precise word, is ordinarily applied to a point within circular, globular, or regular bodies, or wherever a similar exactness appears to exist: the center of the earth; it may also be used metaphorically (still suggesting the core of a sphere): center of interest. Midst usually suggests that a person or thing is closely surrounded or encompassed on all sides, especially by that which is thick or dense: the midst of a storm.

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ANTONYMS FOR middle

1 extreme.

7 extremity.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for middling

He was living under the alias Alonso Rivera Muñoz as a middling real estate developer and art collector in Querétaro.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali|Jason McGahan|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unlike hoity-toity displays of pedigree fluff, the Average Joe Cat Show is a celebration of middling felines.
The Cat's Meow: Top 10 Destinations for Feline Fanatics|Lonely Planet|December 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This is a middling jobs report for the middle of the business cycle.
The Slow, Grinding Repair of the American Labor Market|Megan McArdle|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
France achieved only middling results in an online test by Education First.
Why Can’t France Learn English?|David Sessions|March 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But if you their incomes to other high earners, doctors in the US are actually kind of middling by OECD standards.
Why Would We Cut Doctor Pay?|Megan McArdle|January 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Then—damn and alas—London and the virtuous life of your English middling class.
The Island Mystery|George A. Birmingham
In England, all the middling ranks dress so well, that you are puzzled to find out the gentleman.
Travels in France during the years 1814-1815|Archibald Alison
She was of middling height, and very delicately formed, with a face as destitute of color as if it had been carved out of marble.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 104, June, 1866|Various
It is situated near Pigeon creek, a middling size stream in winter, but nearly dry in summer.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume X|Various
When you think I used to pay eight and ten cents a pound for middling, and yesterday they asked me twenty-six cents at the store.
The Builders|Ellen Glasgow

British Dictionary definitions for middling (1 of 2)

middling

/ (ˈmɪdlɪŋ) /

adjective

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

adverb

informal moderatelymiddling well

Derived Forms

middlingly, adverb

Word Origin for middling

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

British Dictionary definitions for middling (2 of 2)

middle

/ (ˈmɪdəl) /

adjective

equally distant from the ends or periphery of something; central

intermediate in status, situation, etc

located between the early and late parts of a series, time sequence, etc

not extreme, esp in size; medium

(esp in Greek and Sanskrit grammar) denoting a voice of verbs expressing reciprocal or reflexive actionCompare active (def. 5), passive (def. 5)

(usually capital) (of a language) intermediate between the earliest and the modern formsMiddle English

noun

an area or point equal in distance from the ends or periphery or in time between the early and late parts

an intermediate part or section, such as the waist

grammar the middle voice

logic See middle term

the ground between rows of growing plants

a discursive article in a journal, placed between the leading articles and the book reviews

cricket a position on the batting creases in alignment with the middle stumps on which a batsman may take guard

verb (tr)

to place in the middle

nautical to fold in two

football to return (the ball) from the wing to midfield

cricket to hit (the ball) with the middle of the bat

Word Origin for middle

Old English middel; compare Old Frisian middel, Dutch middel, German mittel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

middling

adjective

adverb

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of middling

Related forms

Definition for middling (2 of 2)

middle

adjective

noun

verb (used with or without object), mid·dled, mid·dling.

Origin of middle

SYNONYMS FOR middle

ANTONYMS FOR middle

Examples from the Web for middling

British Dictionary definitions for middling (1 of 2)

middling

adjective

adverb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for middling

British Dictionary definitions for middling (2 of 2)

middle

adjective

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for middle

Idioms and Phrases with middling (1 of 2)

middling

Idioms and Phrases with middling (2 of 2)

middle