mediocrity

noun

Definition of mediocritynext
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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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 For a big-market, win-now team like the Sparks, mediocrity is a death knell. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 Or that far too many critics just let the worst sort of mediocrity slide. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 The once-proud franchise of Don Shula, the Perfect Season and Dan Marino has spent this century wallowing in mediocrity since last winning a playoff game in the 2000 season, the longest drought in the league. — Greg Cote july 27, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026 As England captain, his success in elevating the team above mediocrity was only fleeting, but his impact crossed cultural boundaries. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocrity
  1. normality
  2. nothing
  3. averageness
  4. obscurity
  5. acceptability
  6. inferior
  7. badness
  8. insect
Noun
  • By the time the world returned to relative normality, her priorities had shifted.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026
  • But coming out of a pandemic that had robbed players of normality, a few days extra at the best tournaments felt doable, given the financial payoff.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of normality
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
Definition of nothing
Noun
  • But that is just one expression of its structural bias toward familiarity and averageness.
    — Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of averageness
Noun
  • Rather than being propelled to greater heights and providing a template for how to produce future Scotland internationals, the majority are fading to part-time obscurity.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Shares jumped over 500%, as investors clamored for a piece of a firm that has risen from obscurity to compete with rivals such as Samsung and Micron at home amid an AI-induced demand boom.
    — Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of obscurity
Noun
  • Today, everyone from the Economist to the New York Times has heralded the coming psychedelics renaissance, as hallucinogens begin to gain greater cultural, medical and commercial acceptability.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of acceptability
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
Definition of inferior
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
Definition of badness
Noun
  • Horticultural and neem oil work by suffocating the insects and disrupting their feeding cycle.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Companion planting with flowering plants, like yarrow, zinnias, and sunflowers, attracts beneficial insects that naturally control pests.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of insect

Browse Nearby Words

mediocrities
mediocrity
meditate
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Cite this Entry

“Mediocrity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocrity. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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