MIDDLING

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does middling mean? 

• MIDDLING (noun)
  The noun MIDDLING has 1 sense:

1. any commodity of intermediate quality or size (especially when coarse particles of ground wheat are mixed with bran)

  Familiarity information: MIDDLING used as a noun is very rare.

• MIDDLING (adjective)
  The adjective MIDDLING has 1 sense:

1. lacking exceptional quality or ability

  Familiarity information: MIDDLING used as an adjective is very rare.

• MIDDLING (adverb)
  The adverb MIDDLING has 1 sense:

1. to a moderately sufficient extent or degree

  Familiarity information: MIDDLING used as an adverb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MIDDLING (noun)

Meaning:

Any commodity of intermediate quality or size (especially when coarse particles of ground wheat are mixed with bran)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("middling" is a kind of...):

commodity; good; trade good (articles of commerce)

• MIDDLING (adjective)

Meaning:

Lacking exceptional quality or ability

Synonyms:

middling; mediocre; average; fair

Context examples:

a novel of average merit / only a fair performance of the sonata / in fair health / the caliber of the students has gone from mediocre to above average / the performance was middling at best

Similar:

ordinary (not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree)

• MIDDLING (adverb)

Meaning:

To a moderately sufficient extent or degree

Synonyms:

reasonably; passably; moderately; middling; fairly; within reason; somewhat

Context examples:

the shoes are priced reasonably / he is fairly clever with computers / they lived comfortably within reason