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
Central to many of these policies is the belief that diversity lowers standards, replacing meritocracy with mediocrity.
—
Rodney Coates, The Conversation, 29 May 2025
Reus’ goal prevented it from ending that mediocrity and building some momentum heading into next week’s Club World Cup qualifier with Mexico’s Club América.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
Teams riding waves of mediocrity The A’s returned home Wednesday following a three-city, nine-game road trip with an off day on Thursday.
—Chris Biderman
july 4, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2025
Take notice of their work ethic, their attitude, their refusal to complain, and their unwillingness to settle for mediocrity within themselves.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Rodney Coates, The Conversation, 29 May 2025
Reus’ goal prevented it from ending that mediocrity and building some momentum heading into next week’s Club World Cup qualifier with Mexico’s Club América.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
Teams riding waves of mediocrity The A’s returned home Wednesday following a three-city, nine-game road trip with an off day on Thursday.
—Chris Biderman
july 4, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2025
Take notice of their work ethic, their attitude, their refusal to complain, and their unwillingness to settle for mediocrity within themselves.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocrity
Noun
-
My memoir was built of gaps, juxtaposition, weird little nothings.—
Cheri Lucas Rowlands,
Longreads,
16 Dec. 2024
-
The one whose legs turned nothings into somethings, improvising the Lions’ entire defensive game plan into a pile of ash?—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2024
Noun
-
Without these, even the most advanced models may languish in obscurity.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
-
Hometown beauty queen Barbara Parker is plucked from obscurity and rebranded as Sophie Straw, the star of the BBC’s latest hit comedy.—
Mia Barzilay Freund,
Vogue,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
For starters, try planting dill around your brassicas, basil beneath your nightshades, or low-growing Corsican mint or Roman chamomile around any plants that need insect pollination.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 July 2025
-
The insects' larvae burrow into ash trees and feed on the tree's inner bark, preventing nutrients and water to flow properly.—
Alessia Sandala,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
Yanking the rug out from under thousands of foreigners who often risked life and limb to find a safe haven in America is an unconscionable act of heartless, anti-humanitarian gall on the part of Donald Trump and his minions.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
9 June 2025
-
Her niftiest fight sequence looks like abstract art: a stark black-and-white aerial pan of her shadow battling minions down a hallway.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Noun
-
None of these nobodies is performing like Grimes just yet, and until someone does Grier better get active trying to find a handful of veteran cornerbacks whom this team can call on, and sign to patch up the weakest unit on the team.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2025
-
And maybe that’s a metaphor for the way a lot of middle-class nobodies feel.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
The same region of Texas Hill Country where a flash flood on July 4 killed more than 130 people was hit again with downpours a week later, forcing searchers to temporarily pause their efforts to find missing victims.—
Jeremy Porter,
CBS News,
14 July 2025
-
Now, as the families prepare for next week's sentencing hearing on July 23, Patterson and Ward are hoping to give readers a true sense of the four victims.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mediocrity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocrity. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share