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
Castillo writes that the film is mediocre only by Spielberg’s crazy high standards.
—
Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
Tests can help identify the excellent students attending mediocre high schools and, conversely, the mediocre students attending excellent schools.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
With the serve and backhand so well established, a priority this season has been improving Menšík’s relatively mediocre forehand.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 June 2026
Italy’s national team was mediocre at the time, failing to medal at the Olympics in 1920 and 1924.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for mediocre
Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
Tests can help identify the excellent students attending mediocre high schools and, conversely, the mediocre students attending excellent schools.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
With the serve and backhand so well established, a priority this season has been improving Menšík’s relatively mediocre forehand.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 June 2026
Italy’s national team was mediocre at the time, failing to medal at the Olympics in 1920 and 1924.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for mediocre
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocre
Adjective
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Unofficial election results show Orange County is on track to have a relatively decent turnout for a non-presidential election primary.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
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Wooden piles, Schwartz tells me, used to have a decent lifespan in the harbor because the water was so toxic that even the critters that eat wood couldn’t survive.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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The second didn’t go nearly as well for Bussi as Karlsson and Howden scored on two of the Golden Knights’ six shots in the period to tie the score at 3-3 heading into the third, the tying goal coming off a Seth Jarvis turnover and a couple of poor defensive plays by Sean Walker and K’Andre Miller.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
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Heat radiates from the pages of this extraordinary novel about a poor family in rural Mississippi in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Throwing a couple of pizzas in the oven and tossing a simple salad will get a satisfactory answer to that question in less than 20 minutes.—
Libby Monteith Minor,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
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The mayor’s office statement indicates that resolution was satisfactory enough to lead to Yancey’s reinstatement to her high-ranking position.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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In 2012, a powerful quake visited terrible damage on the city of Modena, Bottura’s home and host to his restaurant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The letter writer’s cousin has cancer, and the chemo gives her terrible side effects.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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The Dodgers’ 4-3 win over Tampa Bay rid them of their middling road performance.—
Liana Handler
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
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Added to that underwhelming start were nine turnovers, all of which contributed to a middling offensive performance that helped San Antonio build its sizable lead.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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Analyst Seth Seifman said in a note that the stock still isn’t cheap — with Kratos trading at 76 times forward earnings — but notes that investors have been awarding high-growth companies in this sector with elevated premiums.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
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While countries highlighted in a new report of summer’s top travel destinations may not come as a surprise, the data also revealed ways to get there for cheaper.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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The company’s founders say the idea came from watching ordinary people struggle to access opportunities that increasingly depended on technical knowledge.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
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Late Thursday, the plaintiffs filed a motion asking the court to order the Pentagon to resume its ordinary review process for new wind energy projects.—
Jennifer McDermott,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Consumers previously wrote off Chinese goods as inferior, as Chinese manufacturers prioritized quick market entry over original designs.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
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Learning how to be the favorite, who plays under the pressure of expectation, instead of how to be the underdog, who plays with the freedom of the unexpected, can make plenty of players vulnerable against an inferior foe at the business end of a tournament.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mediocre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocre. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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