in the middle

ADJECTIVE

between the devil and the deep blue sea

Synonyms

WEAK

Catch-22 Hobson's choice between Scylla and Charybdis between a rock and a hard place between the hammer and the anvil between two fires cornered in a dilemma in a pickle in a predicament no choice sitting on a powder keg

ADJECTIVE

on the fence

Synonyms

WEAK

ambivalent betwixt and between blowing hot and cold borderline debatable divided hemming and hawing hesitant iffy impartial indecisive irresolute neutral not definite not sure of two minds open running hot and cold tentative torn uncertain unclear uncommitted undetermined unsure up in the air waffling wavering wishy-washy

ADJECTIVE

undecided

Synonyms

STRONGEST

ambivalent doubtful hesitant uncertain unclear uncommitted undetermined unsure vague wavering

WEAK

betwixt and between blowing hot and cold borderline debatable dithering dubious equivocal hemming and hawing iffy indecisive indefinite irresolute moot of two minds on the fence open pendent pending running hot and cold tentative torn unfinished unsettled up in the air waffling wishy-washy

Antonyms

STRONGEST

certain clear definite determined resolved secure settled sure

WEAK

decided undoubted

ADVERB

between

Synonyms

STRONG

betwixt

WEAK

amid amidst among at intervals bounded by centrally located enclosed by halfway in in the midst of in the seam in the thick of inserted interpolated intervening medially mid midway separating

PREPOSITION

through

Synonyms

STRONGEST

about straight

WEAK

by clear for the period from beginning to end in in and out into past round throughout

Antonyms

WEAK

around

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Taking a quiet moment in his office in the middle of the afternoon – before the nightly protests begin – Rama characterises the protests as a sign of a healthy, democratic society.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026

Other nights I raid the freezer for peas and carrots, handfuls of spinach or little nuggets of sweet potato in the middle of winter.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026

After the team’s dramatic 2-1 win over Croatia on Thursday in a World Cup knockout game, Portugal’s players posed for a group photo in the middle of the field at Toronto Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2026

“The bit in the middle always gets squeezed.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

“We were throwing pebbles at her window in the middle of one of her lessons. Everyone got away but me. After she popped me, she made me stand in the corner and called my parents.”

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

in the middle

Example Sentences

Related Words