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mediocrity

[ mee-dee-ok-ri-tee ]
/ ˌmi diˈɒk rɪ ti /
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noun, plural me·di·oc·ri·ties.

the state or quality of being mediocre.
mediocre ability or accomplishment.
a mediocre person.

RELATED WORDS

normality, commonness, averageness, upstart, cipher, nonentity, commoner

Nearby words

  1. mediocracy,
  2. mediocre,
  3. mediocris,
  4. mediocritization,
  5. mediocritize,
  6. mediodorsal,
  7. mediolateral,
  8. medionecrosis,
  9. mediotarsal,
  10. mediotarsal amputation

Origin of mediocrity

1400–50; late Middle English mediocrite < Middle French mediocrite < Latin mediocritāt- (stem of mediocritās) a middle state, moderation. See mediocre, -ity
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mediocrity

British Dictionary definitions for mediocrity

mediocrity

/ (ˌmiːdɪˈɒkrɪtɪ, ˌmɛd-) /

noun plural -ties

the state or quality of being mediocre
a mediocre person or thing
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

Word Origin and History for mediocrity

mediocrity

n.

early 15c., "moderation; intermediate state or amount," from Middle French médiocrité and directly from Latin mediocritatem (nominative mediocritas) "a middle state, middling condition, medium," from mediocris (see mediocre). Neutral at first; disparaging sense began to predominate from late 16c. The meaning "person of mediocre abilities or attainments" is from 1690s. Before the tinge of disparagement crept in, another name for the Golden Mean was golden mediocrity.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper