1
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
2
as in poor
of low quality
mediocre carvings in a pseudo-African style that are sold to tourists
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mediocre
Raridon is a bet that his astounding athletic traits will overcome mediocre college production (zero touchdowns a year ago and just 623 yards in 40 games).
—
Chad Graff, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The Ducks are comfortable playing firewagon hockey as a mediocre-to-poor defensive team with the talent to outscore its mistakes, particularly with the backing of its frenzied home crowd at Orange County’s first playoff hockey in eight years.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Margins are small, and competition intense (lots of people can make a mediocre bread roll).
—Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
For most of their history, the Panthers have gotten by with mediocre safeties, undervaluing a position that can be manned by a real game-changer.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mediocre
Chad Graff, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The Ducks are comfortable playing firewagon hockey as a mediocre-to-poor defensive team with the talent to outscore its mistakes, particularly with the backing of its frenzied home crowd at Orange County’s first playoff hockey in eight years.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Margins are small, and competition intense (lots of people can make a mediocre bread roll).
—Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
For most of their history, the Panthers have gotten by with mediocre safeties, undervaluing a position that can be manned by a real game-changer.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mediocre
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocre
Adjective
-
The Giants came into the season with a decent enough outlook for the year.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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There’s a similar hope for Bielefeld, a 6-3 wing who played a decent amount during her freshman season.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Injuries to key players on the Amazin’s contributed to some poor numbers as well.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Although poor students are disproportionately likely to receive special education in New York City, well-off disabled kids are the ones most acutely driving up the budget.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Quatraro asked for clarification and left the field without a satisfactory expression.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The defense was more than satisfactory in subduing the league’s top offense.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The delay seemed to Silva like one more indignity in a terrible series of events that began with her husband’s death in 2024.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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The logic here is peak modern NBA, and the league wants to make being slightly below average more rewarding than being truly terrible.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Those might come in handy since what happened Friday night at Petco Park was more like what a team with a bottom-10 offense and a middling pitching staff could be expected to look like.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
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After needing to take part in the NBA’s play-in tournament in each of the last four seasons, recording one playoff win in the last three seasons and missing the playoffs this season for the first time since 2019, the Miami Heat wants to escape this middling era.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The carrier failed to secure a financial lifeline to continue operating, ending the discount air travel pioneer’s time in the sky, costing some 17,000 jobs and thousands of cheap flights in the market.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
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Villa can be vulnerable to cheap giveaways in midfield, so Emery moved Morgan Rogers alongside Watkins up front and in the inside-right channel, higher upfield and not in central or deep positions where he can be swarmed.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Each episode closes the gap between inspiration and action, reminding audiences that remarkable brands are built by ordinary people who choose to keep going.—
Ascend Agency,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
The only administrative requirements should be the ordinary ones that are necessary in order to maintain any system, such as confirming identity and preventing fraud, not ones that screen people out of necessary care.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
The high-flying version of the Avs has yet to arrive in this series, but the defensively-sound edition backed by strong goaltending continues to be enough against an inferior Kings club.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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Their highest attendance of the games played at Stamford Bridge this season is 30,545, the only one to come close to the 30,000 mark, and inferior to their record attendance of 39,398 set two years ago at their Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mediocre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocre. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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