1
as in normality
the quality or state of being mediocre
She's a perfectionist who refuses to settle for mediocrity.
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2
as in nothing
a person of little fame
He surrounded himself with mediocrities to appear more notable by comparison.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mediocrity
Yes, the Giants have jumped off the treadmill of mediocrity and subsequently sprained both ankles.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
Decades of mostly mediocrity and worse followed.
—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
15 June 2026
For most of this decade, the Red Sox have been mired in mediocrity.
—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
Until the Heat gets real and welcomes Pat Riley or his way overdue replacement to the 21st century, the middling Heat will have an annual reservation at the NBA table of mediocrity.
—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
Decades of mostly mediocrity and worse followed.
—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
15 June 2026
For most of this decade, the Red Sox have been mired in mediocrity.
—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
Until the Heat gets real and welcomes Pat Riley or his way overdue replacement to the 21st century, the middling Heat will have an annual reservation at the NBA table of mediocrity.
—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocrity
Noun
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The second payment comes when expectations come back to normality.
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But normality is gauged by behavior, an individual’s social life.
Noun
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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.
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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.
Noun
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But that is just one expression of its structural bias toward familiarity and averageness.
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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).
Noun
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Rollerena seems to have understood this almost intuitively, resisting the slide into obscurity.
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As discussions of warfare today emphasize unmanned systems technology, drones are driving battles into a new frontier – or rather, a frontier perceived as new due to its relative obscurity in the public eye.
Noun
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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.
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People who feel othered often describe exhaustion from performing acceptability.
Noun
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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.
Noun
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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.
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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.
Noun
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Elsewhere, a Queen of Hearts figure crafted from plant material, card‑soldier topiaries and oversized mushrooms and insects give families plenty to explore, often with interactive buttons or scavenger‑hunt details for kids.
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In the forest and other natural settings, termites are beneficial insects that recycle woody debris, such as dead trees, and return nutrients to the soil.
Cite this Entry
“Mediocrity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocrity. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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