middling

Middling is an English word with several related senses. As an adjective, it describes something that is in the middle or of moderate degree, quality, or extent. It can indicate neither excellent nor poor, but average or middling in quality. Used as an adverb in some contexts, it can mean moderately or to a moderate extent, though this usage is more common in older or informal speech.

Historical and sociological usage: In Britain from the early modern period through the 19th century, the phrase the middling sorts referred to a social stratum between the gentry and the laboring poor—roughly the middle class made up of tradespeople, merchants, shopkeepers, and smallholders. The term has largely fallen out of contemporary usage, with "middle class" or "middle-income groups" appearing in modern discourse.

Other senses: In milling and grain processing, middlings denotes a byproduct or mid-grade fraction produced during milling, lying between bran and fine flour. The term appears in industrial and historical contexts and may refer to material used for animal feed or for blending in bread-making mixes in certain periods.

In modern English, middling remains common as an adjective describing moderate quality or quantity, as in middling weather or middling success. The word conveys a neutral, non-extreme assessment and is typically informal or literary in tone. It is not a direct synonym for middle or mid-, and in formal writing, terms such as average, moderate, or intermediate are often preferred.