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
That leaves much of the league stuck in a cycle of mediocrity.
—
Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
The result is what might be called algorithmic mediocrity.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
The result is what might be called algorithmic mediocrity.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocrity
Noun
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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
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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.—
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
-
The rise of Santa Muerte The other folk saint tied to narco culture is Santa Muerte, whose Grim Reaper appearance and relative obscurity prompt assumptions of malevolence.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
7 June 2026
-
Unlike so many iconic American fights, held in the halls of Congress or on the streets of major cities, this campaign is being waged for the most part in obscurity.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
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.—
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
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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.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
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.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
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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.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Pelicans swooped overhead and night herons, with spiky yellow feathers flying from their heads, goofily pecked the grass for insects.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
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If the insect was left unchecked, the disease could cost the California wine industry $166 million annually, California Department of Food and Agriculture officials said in an email.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mediocrity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocrity. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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