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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Recent Examples of mediocrity
The rise of algorithmic mediocrity Despite the name, AI doesn’t actually think.
—
Wolfgang Messner, The Conversation, 2 June 2025
The planner of the heist is a small-town Massachusetts family man (a marvellously scruffy Josh O’Connor) who, amid the upheaval of the early nineteen-seventies, becomes desperate to counter his own mediocrity.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Before his rise, the Bucks were stuck in an endless loop of mediocrity—too good to tank, too bad to contend.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
In his Tuesday morning introductory news conference in a packed Welcome Center room on campus, Bibby vowed to immediately turn the fortunes of a program that has been mired in mediocrity, misery or worse since its elevation to Division I in 1991.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Wolfgang Messner, The Conversation, 2 June 2025
The planner of the heist is a small-town Massachusetts family man (a marvellously scruffy Josh O’Connor) who, amid the upheaval of the early nineteen-seventies, becomes desperate to counter his own mediocrity.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Before his rise, the Bucks were stuck in an endless loop of mediocrity—too good to tank, too bad to contend.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
In his Tuesday morning introductory news conference in a packed Welcome Center room on campus, Bibby vowed to immediately turn the fortunes of a program that has been mired in mediocrity, misery or worse since its elevation to Division I in 1991.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocrity
Noun
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My memoir was built of gaps, juxtaposition, weird little nothings.—
Cheri Lucas Rowlands,
Longreads,
16 Dec. 2024
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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
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Now Ada is in charge of the purse strings and Agnes fears her own obscurity and irrelevance.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
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That drags out decisions, drives up costs, and pushes even strong products into obscurity.—
Jaime Catmull,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Do control the Asian psyllid insects with an insecticide spray at each flush of growth to prevent the spread of greening disease.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 June 2025
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People may not be motivated to save the insects for their own sake, but a world without insects is a world without birds.—
Madeline Bodin,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 June 2025
Noun
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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
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Negan banished him and seized control of the Dama’s minions.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
8 June 2025
Noun
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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
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And maybe that’s a metaphor for the way a lot of middle-class nobodies feel.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
13 May 2025
Noun
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The father of University of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves is blasting the plea deal offered to Bryan Kohberger, accusing the prosecutors of mishandling and rushing the deal.—
Kayna Whitworth,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
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The firefighter victims in the attack were identified at the news conference.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mediocrity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocrity. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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