1
as in normality
the quality or state of being mediocre
She's a perfectionist who refuses to settle for mediocrity.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in nothing
a person of little fame
He surrounded himself with mediocrities to appear more notable by comparison.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 mediocrity
The sound of boos reverberating around the Racecourse Ground so early on — this for a club who were very recently languishing in mediocrity three divisions lower — further exemplifies why Wrexham have become the new love-to-hate.
—
Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
The American people are sick and tired of mediocrity.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
The volume was loud – at least one listener’s ears were ringing four hours after the concert ended – but Springsteen’s is one of the few rock acts whose music literally demands such auditory excess (most groups use volume to mask mediocrity).
—Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Everything is coated in a garlic butter salt that masks the mediocrity of the nuts.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
The American people are sick and tired of mediocrity.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
The volume was loud – at least one listener’s ears were ringing four hours after the concert ended – but Springsteen’s is one of the few rock acts whose music literally demands such auditory excess (most groups use volume to mask mediocrity).
—Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Everything is coated in a garlic butter salt that masks the mediocrity of the nuts.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocrity
Noun
-
But normality is gauged by behavior, an individual’s social life.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
-
And, in the period since, a sense of normality has returned.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
While CinemaCon 2026 brought us exciting news about new films, it was also bogged down with status quo nothings about how Amazon MGM still hasn’t found a new James Bond.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
When Dana, who, like Virginia, had been successful in writing pleasant but undistinguished nothings—in her case, songs for Billy Rose’s revues—decided to try taking on more serious music by studying with Boulanger, Virginia entered a deep downward spiral.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Joe, who was selected because of his averageness, turns out to be the smartest person on Earth in the future and lands a job working for President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho (Terry Crews).—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Crossed spears of sunlight fall into it but only so far, and beneath their yellow illuminations Brith can see depths and more depths of water, darkening to obscurity.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
In the age of social media, casting directors still have managed to find industry newcomers with relative digital obscurity and turn them into bona fide stars overnight.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
The rate has been gradually dropping for decades, due to cigarette taxes, tobacco product price hikes, smoking bans, public education campaigns and changes in the social acceptability of lighting up in public.—
Mike Stobbe,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
People who feel othered often describe exhaustion from performing acceptability.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
That comes to the Philippines in the form of war, as well as through the invocation, or establishment, of American-style modes of government and education that place Filipinos along this racial hierarchy, identifying them as these inferiors that need to be taught how to govern themselves.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Check the undersides of leaves for insects.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
-
The jelly dishes are removable, and the feeder includes an ant moat as well as bee guards to keep insects away.—
Brittany VanDerBill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mediocrity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocrity. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
