mediocre

[ mee-dee-oh-ker ]
See synonyms for mediocre on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate: The car gets only mediocre mileage, but it's fun to drive.

  2. not satisfactory; poor; inferior: Mediocre construction makes that building dangerous.

Origin of mediocre

1
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”; see origin at mid1

Other words for mediocre

Opposites for mediocre

Other words from mediocre

  • sub·me·di·o·cre, adjective
  • su·per·me·di·o·cre, adjective

Words Nearby mediocre

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How to use mediocre in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mediocre

mediocre

/ (ˌmiːdɪˈəʊkə, ˈmiːdɪˌəʊkə) /


adjective
  1. often derogatory average or ordinary in quality: a mediocre book

Origin of mediocre

1
C16: via French from Latin mediocris moderate, literally: halfway up the mountain, from medius middle + ocris stony mountain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012