mediocre
Americanadjective
-
of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate.
The car gets only mediocre mileage, but it's fun to drive.
- Synonyms:
- run-of-the-mill, everyday, pedestrian, commonplace, undistinguished
- Antonyms:
- incomparable, uncommon, superior, extraordinary
-
not satisfactory; poor; inferior.
Mediocre construction makes that building dangerous.
- Synonyms:
- so-so, second-rate, low-quality, meager
adjective
Other Word Forms
- submediocre adjective
- supermediocre adjective
Etymology
Origin of mediocre
First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French, from Latin mediocris “in a middle state,” literally, “at middle height,” equivalent to medi(us) “center, middle” + Old Latin ocris “rugged mountain,” cognate with Greek ókris, akin to ákros “apex”; compare Umbrian ocar “hill, citadel”; mid 1
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.
The biggest mystery involved in “Mercy” is not who killed Mrs. Raven but why a star with Mr. Pratt’s everyman charisma keeps choosing such mediocre projects.
The choice of mediocre investments can strangle the flow of endowment money to pay for yet more administrators.
From MarketWatch
Ratcliffe has so far done little to suggest he can deliver on his desire to restore a club he admitted "has become mediocre" to former glories.
From Barron's
Weeks later, employees were working late into the night revising AI-generated drafts, fixing errors, and pretending to be impressed by results they found mediocre.
From Barron's
I’ve actually gotten really comfortable in this space of everyone thinking that everything I do will be mediocre and me doing something better than that and them being surprised.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
