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Definition of mediocre
: of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance : ordinary, so-so
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Examples of mediocre in a Sentence
They sensed that mediocre students like Roosevelt really did possess a set of virtues that needed to be protected and cherished. —David Brooks, New York Times Book Review, 6 Nov. 2005
Of course, it could be that what Wesley has been through steeled his nerves and transformed him from a mediocre point guard into one of the fiercest shooters in the league with the game on the line. —Chad Millman, ESPN, 14 May 2001
In short, they'd have to build a first-rate health-care system out of the shantytown's mediocre one—a system that would administer those drugs reliably and keep the patients' spirits up, because the second-line drugs are weak and have unpleasant side effects, which a patient has to endure for as much as two years. —Tracy Kidder, New Yorker, 10 July 2000
The dinner was delicious, but the dessert was mediocre.
The carpenter did a mediocre job.
The critics dismissed him as a mediocre actor.
Recent Examples of mediocre from the Web
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The Demon Deacons return nine starters from a mediocre offense, but have some rising stars on the defense that were groomed by Elko and Lea.
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TCU's win over a usually mediocre Golden Gophers team barely registered.
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More than 1,000 schools across the country received SIG grants and researchers found mediocre results.
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Rodgers was written off by many midway through the 2016 season following a bizarre and inexplicable stretch of mediocre play.
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Despite being fifth in the Pac-12 in steals and 11th in blocks, Fultz was mediocre defensively.
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The company's last game, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 got reviews that ranged from mediocre to scathing from most critics.
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But consider, by way of comparison, May 1987, the highlight of which was probably Beverly Hills Cop II, featuring Eddie Murphy at the height of his fame doing what people at the height of their fame often do: make mediocre sequels.
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Was the studio succumbing to the allure of easy money for mediocre product?
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mediocre'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Why being halfway up a mountain is mediocre
One of the things that is remarkable about mediocre is the extent to which it has retained its meaning over the course of more than four centuries of continual use. The word, when used as an adjective, has changed very little, if at all, in its meaning since it was used in a 1586 book titled The English Secretorie (our earliest known evidence): “Mediocre, a meane betwixt high and low, vehement and slender, too much and too little as we saye. . . .” The word comes to English from the Middle French, which took it from a Latin word meaning “halfway up a mountain” (mediocris). The noun form of mediocre is mediocrity.
Origin and Etymology of mediocre
Middle French, from Latin mediocris, from medius middle + Old Latin ocris stony mountain; akin to Latin acer sharp — more at edge
MEDIOCRE Defined for English Language Learners
MEDIOCRE Defined for Kids
mediocre
playDefinition of mediocre for Students
: not very good That restaurant is just mediocre.
Learn More about mediocre
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See words that rhyme with mediocre Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mediocre Spanish Central: Translation of mediocre Nglish: Translation of mediocre for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mediocre for Arabic speakers
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