mediocrity

[mee-dee-ok-ri-tee]

noun

plural

mediocrities 

1. the state or quality of being mediocre.

2. mediocre ability or accomplishment.

3. a mediocre person.

mediocrity

/ ˌmɛd-, ˌmiːdɪˈɒkrɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being mediocre

2. a mediocre person or thing

Word History and Origins

Origin of mediocrity¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English mediocrite, from Middle French mediocrite, from Latin mediocritāt-, stem of mediocritās “middle state, moderation”; equivalent to mediocre + -ity

Example Sentences

It must break Percival’s heart to see his team descend back into persistent mediocrity.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The latter, afflicted by “the incurable disease of mediocrity,” has led a disappointing life yet still possesses a lust for it.

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Sly, wry, adorable and deplorable, Guillaume Marbeck is priceless as the endlessly irritating and yet frustratingly charismatic Godard in one of the year’s brightest pictures, a rare standout in a sea of multiplex mediocrity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And when he introduced the cameras, I was like, “No, no, no — you have to only do this side. Do you want greatness or mediocrity?”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s almost as if prime-time network television has attained maximum mediocrity and is willing to maintain a sluggish cruising level.

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Related Words

• normality