mediocre
adjective
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The Enduring Moderation of 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 via Middle French from the Latin word mediocris, meaning "of medium size, moderate, middling, commonplace," and perhaps originally "halfway to the top." The noun form of mediocre is mediocrity.
Examples of mediocre in a Sentence
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.
Carl Anka, New York Times, 30 June 2025
First, how will the Bear recover from that mediocre review — and can its comeback be achieved before the joint runs out of money?
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 26 June 2025
So while a boss may just see a salesperson achieving quota or a ‘mediocre’ colleague, the AI may surface that the quota was met despite some poor behaviors, or that the mediocre performer is actually stellar at helping their peers.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 June 2025
And luckily, the Gallardo’s mediocre single-clutch paddle-shift gearbox wasn’t in the mix; a traditional torque converter automatic with six forward speeds was the only way to funnel power to the four wheels.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for mediocre
Cite this Entry
“Mediocre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mediocre. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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mediocre
adjective
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