The Medlicottioidea are recognized by their discoidal to thinly lenticular, and involute shells with small umbilici; flat, often grooved venters, and variably complex sutures.

The Medlicottioidea combines two related families, the ancestral Pronoritidae, descended from the Prolecanitidae in the Upper Mississippian and the derived Medlicottiidae which first appeared in the Lower Pennsylvanian.

A third family, the Sageceratidae, considered to be derived from the Medlicottiidae, is included in the Ceratitida in more recent classifications.

The Medlicottiaceae have become known by the alternative Medlicottiodea, following the recent ruling by the ICZN regarding superfamily endings.

Medlicottiaceae nevertheless has a long standing in the literature with the taxonomic rank clear, without the need for explanation.