Mid means so-so or mediocre: people use it about a film, food, a song or someone's looks that aren't quite good enough. It isn't a neutral word for average; it's closer to a disappointed nothing special. It's used on social media and among friends, and it sounds dismissive.
Could you drop mid into a text?
Write a short message — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
be/look/sound + mid; kinda/pretty/honestly mid
- Everyone hyped that new burger place, but honestly the food was mid.
- The first season was amazing, but the second one is kinda mid.
- His new album isn't bad, it's just mid, nothing I'd listen to twice.
What changed
First versionCan I get a mid latte with oat milk, please?
RevisionCan I get a medium latte with oat milk, please?
A size in a café is medium. The slang mid judges quality, so a mid latte would sound like a mediocre latte. Change one word: a medium latte.
The slang mid is a judgement, while the prefix mid- simply means the middle: in her mid-thirties, in mid-July, a mid-size car. About someone's work or looks, mid sounds hurtful; it's gentler to say it's nothing special or it's not really my thing. In IELTS Speaking, not that great works, and in an essay, average or mediocre.
Your turn
The pizza wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't order it again, it was pretty ___.
Show the answer
mid — The pizza wasn't terrible, but the speaker wouldn't order it again: that's exactly so-so, mid. Medium refers to size or how well meat is cooked; it isn't used to judge quality.
Text a friend a short review of a film, café or series that didn't impress you. Use mid and explain what was missing.
That new café is mid, the coffee's fine but the cakes just aren't fresh.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.