midi

midi — adjective

1. describes a skirt, dress, or coat whose hem falls at a point roughly halfway bet

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a skirt, dress, or coat whose hem falls at a point roughly halfway between the knee and the ankle, covering the knees and most of the calf area.

Example

Apinya chose a soft grey midi skirt for her first day at work.

collocation: midi skirt / midi dress / midi coat

The shop assistant showed Dahlia several midi dresses that fell just below her knees.

Common collocations
  • midi skirt
  • midi dress
  • midi coat
  • midi length
Synonyms
  • mid-length

    more general; can describe any intermediate length, not just hem positions

  • calf-length

    specifically describes a hem that reaches the calf, which is slightly longer than midi

Antonyms
  • mini

    describes a very short skirt or dress, well above the knee

  • maxi

    describes a very long skirt or dress reaching the ankle or floor

Grammar Patterns

midi + noun (skirt, dress, coat, length)

Usage Note

Attributive only — placed before the noun it describes (a midi skirt, a midi dress). Not used after a linking verb.

Common Mistakes

She wore a dress that is midi.
She wore a midi dress.
'midi' is used before the noun, not after a verb like 'is'.

2. referring to something that is in the middle range of sizes or amounts — bigger

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

referring to something that is in the middle range of sizes or amounts — bigger than small but smaller than large.

Example

Takeshi bought a midi storage box that fit neatly under his desk.

pattern: midi + size/container noun

The airline charges extra for midi suitcases that exceed the carry-on limit.

Common collocations
  • midi size
  • midi format
  • midi version
  • midi backpack
Synonyms
  • medium

    far more common and widely understood than 'midi' for general size descriptions

  • average

    describes what is typical or normal, not a deliberately chosen intermediate size

Antonyms
  • mini

    describes the smallest size in a range

  • maxi

    describes the largest size in a range

Grammar Patterns

midi + noun (size, format, version)

Usage Note

Typically appears before a noun that describes a product or container available in a size range. Less common than 'medium'.

midi — noun

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These four terms describe different skirt or dress lengths. Midi specifically refers to a hem falling about halfway between the knee and the ankle — roughly mid-calf. Mid-length is a more general term that can describe any intermediate length, such as a jacket or a coat, not just skirts. Calf-length is slightly more precise, describing a hem that actually reaches the calf muscle rather than hovering above it. Knee-length is shorter, with the hem hitting at or just above the knee. In everyday shopping, a midi skirt sits below the knee but well above the ankle, while a knee-length skirt ends higher up. When in doubt, midi is the safest fashion-industry term for the specific middle length.

midi ↗mid-lengthcalf-lengthknee-length

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • midi to maxi
  • mini, midi, and maxi

Prepositions

  • in (midi skirt in grey)
  • with (pair with a midi)

Etymology

Englishmid- + -i (modelled on mini)acronym: Musical Instrument Digital Interface

The fashion term 'midi' was formed in the 1960s by combining the prefix 'mid-' (meaning 'middle') with the '-i' ending, modelled after the earlier word 'mini' (from mini-skirt). It entered popular use around 1970 as hemlines shifted between extreme lengths. The music technology term MIDI was developed as an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and was standardised in 1983 by a consortium of synthesizer manufacturers.