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.
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 21 June 2025
Harrison, the key player for the Red Sox insofar as immediate return, has been a mediocre (4.48 ERA in 35 starts) mid-rotation starter for the Giants.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 21 June 2025
Spielberg puts his own spin on the H.G. Wells invasion classic with Tom Cruise along for the ride, with mediocre results.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 June 2025
Related article Gary Oldman says his work in ‘Harry Potter’ movies is ‘mediocre,’ would’ve played role ‘differently’
Co-founder and lead singer of legendary British rock band The Who, Daltrey, 81, was honored for his services to charity.
—Olivia Kemp, CNN Money, 13 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 6 Jul. 2025.
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mediocre
adjective
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