MEDIOCRE Synonyms: 152 Similar and Opposite Words

mediocre

adjective

ˌmē-dē-ˈō-kər

Definition of mediocre

as in decent

of average to below average quality your grades are mediocre and barely acceptable

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in poor

of low quality mediocre carvings in a pseudo-African style that are sold to tourists

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of mediocre The boring rosters, the passive-aggressive press conferences, the endless parade of mediocre seasons — cresting and falling with an inexplicable 2021 and 2026 — has been brutal to watch. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026 Turnout is mediocre Democrats have been having trouble winning statewide electrons for decades, and the state has turned increasingly Republican in recent years. — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026 But typical olive oil producers (California, Tuscany, Spain, Greece) can all produce both extraordinary and mediocre oils. — Laura Manzano, Martha Stewart, 18 Aug. 2026 In years past, 100,000 new jobs a month would have been mediocre. — Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mediocre

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocre

Adjective

There was a time when getting a decent electric dirt bike meant spending serious money.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
In the Arabic-speaking pic, Barhom stars as Hichem, a customs officer on the Algerian-Tunisian border, who tries to provide a decent life for his wife Leila and little daughter Zineb.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of decent

Adjective

The petition argues Mays’ language during the trial revealed something deeper than a poor defense strategy — a worldview that dehumanized the man he was supposed to defend.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
There remains work to be done, as evidenced by their poor showing in last Thursday’s 41-17 preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

— Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

For the city, the move represents a satisfactory but temporary solution to a months-long dispute over the market’s location that came to a head last week.

— Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
But Olson cautioned people that investigations don’t guarantee a satisfactory outcome for consumers.

— Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of satisfactory

Adjective

But even without it, there seems to be some truth to the idea that if these teams were terrible businesses, they wouldn’t be sold for billions of dollars.

— Evan Drellich, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Not by tightening the siege on Iran directly, but by tightening the siege on those who help this regime, this terrible dictatorship.

— Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of terrible

Adjective

The series received a lukewarm reception from critics and earned middling ratings upon its release, in August, 2005.

— Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Teams don’t have to be much better than middling to sneak into October and hope to ride the variance of tournament baseball to a title.

— Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of middling

Adjective

Taylor Farms says 40% of salad kits sold at grocery stores come from the company, giving it a massive role in supplying a convenient and cheap vegetable option for many shoppers.

— Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Successful validation Sodium is cheap, abundant, and chemically similar to lithium.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

Audiences embraced the films for their creeping realism and slow-building scares, which transformed ordinary bedrooms, hallways and home security cameras into places where something terrifying might be lurking just outside the frame.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
The new measure comes as Moscow and Kyiv ramp up their air campaigns, with Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory sparking fuel shortages and bringing the war closer to home for ordinary Russians.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of ordinary

Adjective

Across state and federal lands, accommodations designated for Black Americans were routinely and nakedly inferior, relegated to remote, underdeveloped parcels or mosquito-prone swamplands.

— Kimmie Gordon, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
But those three road losses were either in the postseason to a top-two team, at Oregon or the inexplicable 2024 loss to a far inferior Michigan team in The Game.

— Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of inferior

Browse Nearby Words

medieval

mediocre

mediocrities

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Style

“Mediocre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocre. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of mediocre

adjective

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