noun
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the state or quality of being mediocre
-
a mediocre person or thing
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mediocrity
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
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How does mediocrity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The noun mediocrity means the quality of being average or ordinary. You can't be great at everything — in some areas, we all fall into mediocrity. Mediocrity, pronounced "me-dee-AH-crih-tee," has Latin parts that together literally mean "halfway up the mountain." You can see how it still applies — in climbing the mountain — or ladder — of success, mediocrity is in the middle, neither leading the pack nor sprawling on ground, giving up. Such of person of this middle-level of success can also be called a mediocrity. That's a second definition of the word.
Vocabulary lists containing mediocrity
A Word's-Eye View of Presidential Candidates in 2016: Campaign Announcements
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The Fire Next Time
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Neil Simon (1927 - 2018) Tribute List
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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.
See Examples For:
Sample some new snacks: Summer barbecues are rife with potato-chip mediocrity.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
“Enough” is a good retort, though, for “Super Troopers 3” overall, except for the dispiriting promise before the closing credits that more mediocrity might be coming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
What a shame, considering a three-dimensional approach might be all “Obsession” needs to skate past mediocrity.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
Kicking and screaming, they won matches they looked like they weren't going to win, dug out key goals in the dying seconds, triumphed over their own mediocrity at times, driven on by Martin O'Neill.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
The strength of this immutable desire saved her from the mediocrity and sadness of her fate.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
The individuals who survive and flourish in such a system are sycophants and mediocrities, and those who have learned to navigate the Great Leader’s moods are far from the most qualified, talented or honorable.
From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2026
But they were also politicians, self-serving and ambitious, often well-born mediocrities flying high above their general level of talent.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 30, 2022
The hothouse atmosphere of festivals can be misleading and turn mediocrities into events, certainly, but the noisy clamor of such hype is always outweighed by the joys of experiencing discoveries and revelations with others.
From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2022
In Cummings’s ontology, the world appears to be made up of an extremely small number of outstandingly clever individuals and a mass of mediocrities.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 6, 2020
It’s why picking the right candidate for a job is so difficult and why, on more occasions than we may care to admit, utter mediocrities sometimes end up in positions of enormous responsibility.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
