mid
/mid, rhymes with kid/adjective
Meaning
Mid is a dismissive judgment meaning average, unimpressive, or disappointing. Although it literally suggests the middle of a quality scale, speakers often use it more harshly for something they consider boring, overrated, or simply not good.[1][4]
- 1. Mediocre or unremarkable rather than notably good or bad.
- 2. Disappointing or overrated, especially compared with strong praise or high expectations.
- 3. Average-looking or otherwise unimpressive when applied to a person, often as a direct insult.
Examples
“That sequel was mid.”
“Everyone hyped the fries up, but they were mid.”
“Not terrible, just aggressively mid.”
“Calling her mid in the comments is just rude.”
“The update looked huge and somehow made the game more mid.”
Origin and spread
Mid is an old English element meaning “middle,” but that older form is not the modern slang judgment. The evaluative adjective appears to have developed from cannabis grading language: mid or mids referred to middle-of-the-road weed, below top-shelf products but above the worst grades. Generalized examples judging music as mid are documented by 2012, with broader social-media circulation visible by the end of the 2010s. On September 8, 2021, wrestler MJF delivered the line “It’s called Midwest because everything in it is ‘mid’” during AEW Dynamite; AEW published the clip the next day, and TikTok remixes helped carry the term to a wider audience later that year. These records show circulation and spread, not a single confirmed inventor.[1]
How to use it
Mid is casual, blunt, and usually dismissive. Friends may use it as a light roast, but it can also shut down discussion by reducing a movie, meal, performance, or opinion to a one-word verdict. When aimed at a person—particularly their appearance—it is more plainly insulting and is often associated with online attractiveness rankings. It is unrelated to gaming uses such as mid lane or head mid.
