mediocrity

noun me·di·oc·ri·ty \ ˌmē-dē-ˈä-krə-tē \

Definition of mediocrity

plural mediocrities

1 a :the quality or state of being mediocre

came to terms with his mediocrity

b :moderate ability or value

fed up with the mediocrity of the local schools

2 :a mediocre person

a most intelligent middle-aged mediocrity
—Oscar Wilde

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Examples of mediocrity in a Sentence

We were disappointed by the mediocrity of the wine.
He thought that he was a brilliant artist himself and that all his fellow painters were just mediocrities.

Recent Examples of mediocrity from the Web

This is just another lost opportunity as Lake County schools once again strive for and celebrate mediocrity.

— lauren ritchie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Lake County Schools miss opportunity with total eclipse," 28 Aug. 2017
For the show to escape its cycle of viral mediocrity, the cast will have to take more risks, and the writers will have to push out more sketches that don’t require superstar guest appearances.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Saturday Night Live Needs to Ditch the Special Guests," 24 Aug. 2017
Frankly, Trump and his dangerous white mediocrity have surpassed my threshold.

— janet mock, Allure, "Being Carefree, Black, & Beautiful Is an Effective Form of Protest in America," 18 Aug. 2017
Three straight seasons of 8-5, 7-6 and 8-5 mediocrity have shaken the family's faith, which helps explain why this preseason optimism is tempered with caution.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "Jarrett Stidham becomes the most important personnel decision of Gus Malzahn's career," 14 Aug. 2017
This season is a payoff for years of losing and, before that, years of mediocrity.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "The Sixers Are Finally Seen as a Team of Consequence," 12 Aug. 2017
Cubs starters are a combined 11-2 with a 2.61 ERA in the first 18 games since the break, ending a prolonged stretch of mediocrity.

— paul sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Jake Arrieta looking more like his old self: 'He's trending in the right direction'," 2 Aug. 2017
In 2017, however, the team is mired in mediocrity and expected to sell off pieces to build for the future.

— mike isenberg, Detroit Free Press, "Anatomy of a deal: Breaking down the Detroit Tigers' trade deadline challenges," 18 July 2017
But, in the heap of mediocrity that surrounded of the mainline crunk productions in the early 2000s, Diamond and Princess brought all kinds of lyrical hell to the Crime Mob albums.

— AL.com, "These are the women in southern hip-hop you should know," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mediocrity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

People interested in words always point out that mediocrity doesn't mean quite what its main root would indicate: Why doesn't it describe something that's right in the middle of the pack, exactly what you would expect? Instead the words mediocrity and mediocre always suggest disappointment. A mediocre play is one you wish you hadn't wasted an evening on, and the mediocre actor in it should probably find another profession. A person can even be called a mediocrity, though it isn't very nice and you'd never do it to his face.

First Known Use of mediocrity

1588

MEDIOCRITY Defined for English Language Learners

mediocrity

noun

Definition of mediocrity for English Language Learners

: the quality of something that is not very good : the quality or state of being mediocre
: a person who does not have the special ability to do something well

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Spanish Central: Translation of mediocrity Nglish: Translation of mediocrity for Spanish speakers

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