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Indifferent vs Middling - What's the difference?

indifferent | middling |

As a verb indifferent

is .

As an adjective middling is

of intermediate or average size, position, or quality; mediocre.

indifferent

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Not caring or concerned; uninterested, apathetic.
    • He was indifferent to the proposal, since it didn't affect him, either way.
  • Mediocre, usually used negatively in modern usage.
    • The long distance and the indifferent roads made the journey impossible.
    The performance of Blue Jays has been '''indifferent'' this season.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
    • The staterooms are in indifferent order.
  • Having no preference or bias, being impartial.
    • ''I am indifferent between the two plans.
  • * Addison
    • indifferent in his choice to sleep or die
  • Not making a difference; without significance or importance.
    • Even if one appliance consumes an indifferent amount of energy when left on stand-by overnight, together they can represent 10% of the electricity demand of a household.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Dangers are to me indifferent .
  • * Jeremy Taylor
    • Everything in the world is indifferent but sin.
  • * Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • His slightest and most indifferent acts were odious in the clergyman's sight.
  • (mechanics) Being in the state of neutral equilibrium.

    • Quotations

    * , act 4, scene 1: *: Let their heads be sleekly combed their blue coats brushed and their garters of an indifferent knit

    Adverb

  • (obsolete) To some extent, in some degree (intermediate between very'' and ''not at all ); moderately, tolerably, fairly.
    • The face of the Moon appearing to me to be full of indifferent high mountains...

    Usage notes

    * Now obsolete, but very common c. 1600-1730.

    References

    * ----

    middling

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Of intermediate or average size, position, or quality; mediocre
    • The football team is never the worst or best in its league; its position is always middling .
  • * 12 July 2012 , Sam Adams, AV Club Ice Age: Continental Drift
    • The matter of whether the world needs a fourth Ice Age movie pales beside the question of why there were three before it, but Continental Drift feels less like an extension of a theatrical franchise than an episode of a middling TV cartoon, lolling around on territory that’s already been settled.
  • In fairly good health.
  • *1913 ,
  • *:"And how's that chest of yours?" demanded Mrs. Morel.
  • *:He smiled again, with his blue eyes rather sunny.
  • *:"Oh, it's very middlin' ," he said.

    • Synonyms

    * average, medium, unexceptional

    Derived terms

    * fair to middling

    External links

    * Origin of fair to middling