mediocre

adjective

me·di·o·cre ˌmē-dē-ˈō-kər How to pronounce mediocre (audio)

: of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance : ordinary, so-so

Did you know?

The Enduring Moderation of Mediocre

One of the things that is remarkable about mediocre is the extent to which it has retained its meaning over the course of more than four centuries of continual use. The word, when used as an adjective, has changed very little, if at all, in its meaning since it was used in a 1586 book titled The English Secretorie (our earliest known evidence): “Mediocre, a meane betwixt high and low, vehement and slender, too much and too little as we saye. . . .”The word comes to English via Middle French from the Latin word mediocris, meaning "of medium size, moderate, middling, commonplace," and perhaps originally "halfway to the top." The noun form of mediocre is mediocrity.

Example Sentences

They sensed that mediocre students like Roosevelt really did possess a set of virtues that needed to be protected and cherished.

David Brooks, New York Times Book Review, 6 Nov. 2005 Of course, it could be that what Wesley has been through steeled his nerves and transformed him from a mediocre point guard into one of the fiercest shooters in the league with the game on the line.

Chad Millman, ESPN, 14 May 2001 In short, they'd have to build a first-rate health-care system out of the shantytown's mediocre one—a system that would administer those drugs reliably and keep the patients' spirits up, because the second-line drugs are weak and have unpleasant side effects, which a patient has to endure for as much as two years.

Tracy Kidder, New Yorker, 10 July 2000 The dinner was delicious, but the dessert was mediocre. The carpenter did a mediocre job. The critics dismissed him as a mediocre actor. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Developing strong self-leadership skills will transform an individual from mediocre to excellent, reflecting in the rate of accomplishing professional goals and leadership skills to others.

Adaora Ayoade, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 Some 43% of public roadways are in poor or mediocre condition, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, which gave the nation’s overall infrastructure a C- rating in its latest report card.

Bart Ziegler, WSJ, 24 July 2022 Koch and business partner Steve Wagner were never timid or mediocre.

Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2022 Online, social media users criticized the gift bag as mediocre and not fitting to show appreciation for an employee of almost three decades, according to People.com.

Melissa Noel, Essence, 28 June 2022 The wrong rums make a Jet Pilot that’s befuddled and mediocre, but the right rums make this drink absolutely sing.

Jason O'bryan, Robb Report, 11 June 2022 So far, studies testing Omicron boosters in mice and monkeys have yielded surprisingly mixed and mediocre results.

Ryan Cross, BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2022 The new Giants regime keeps gutting an expensive and mediocre roster that has won all of 22 games over the past five seasons.

Nate Atkins, The Indianapolis Star, 1 June 2022 Though the stage is full, there was far too much Timberlake to make this a good or even mediocre halftime show.

oregonlive, 7 Feb. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin mediocris "of medium size, moderate, middling, commonplace," perhaps originally "halfway to the top," from medius "middle, central" + -ocris, adjective derivative from the base of Old Latin ocris "rugged mountain," going back to Indo-European *h₂oḱ-r-i- "point, peak, edge" (whence also Umbrian ukar, ocar "citadel," Middle Irish ochair "edge, border," Welsh ochr, Greek ókris "top, point, corner"), derivative of *h₂eḱ- "pointed" — more at mid entry 1, edge entry 1

Note: The base *h₂oḱ-r-i- forms a pair with *h₂eḱ-r- "sharp, pointed" (see acro-) and the two have been explained as part of an original "acrostatic" paradigm of a noun, with fixed stress on the root, o-vocalism in the direct cases and e-vocalism in the oblique cases, with Indo-European daughter languages generalizing one form or another. Note that Greek has both ókris, as above, and ákris "hilltop, mountain peak." Perhaps also belonging here is Sanskrit aśri- "corner, angle, edge" (see at acro-), where the vowel may be either *a or *o.

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined above

单词	mediocre
释义	mediocre adjective me·di·o·cre ˌmē-dē-ˈō-kər : of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance : ordinary, so-so Did you know? The Enduring Moderation of Mediocre One of the things that is remarkable about mediocre is the extent to which it has retained its meaning over the course of more than four centuries of continual use. The word, when used as an adjective, has changed very little, if at all, in its meaning since it was used in a 1586 book titled The English Secretorie (our earliest known evidence): “Mediocre, a meane betwixt high and low, vehement and slender, too much and too little as we saye. . . .”The word comes to English via Middle French from the Latin word mediocris, meaning "of medium size, moderate, middling, commonplace," and perhaps originally "halfway to the top." The noun form of mediocre is mediocrity. Synonyms common fair indifferent medium middling ordinary passable run-of-the-mill run-of-the-mine run-of-mine second-class second-rate so-so See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences They sensed that mediocre students like Roosevelt really did possess a set of virtues that needed to be protected and cherished. David Brooks, New York Times Book Review, 6 Nov. 2005 Of course, it could be that what Wesley has been through steeled his nerves and transformed him from a mediocre point guard into one of the fiercest shooters in the league with the game on the line. Chad Millman, ESPN, 14 May 2001 In short, they'd have to build a first-rate health-care system out of the shantytown's mediocre one—a system that would administer those drugs reliably and keep the patients' spirits up, because the second-line drugs are weak and have unpleasant side effects, which a patient has to endure for as much as two years. Tracy Kidder, New Yorker, 10 July 2000 The dinner was delicious, but the dessert was mediocre. The carpenter did a mediocre job. The critics dismissed him as a mediocre actor. See More Recent Examples on the Web Developing strong self-leadership skills will transform an individual from mediocre to excellent, reflecting in the rate of accomplishing professional goals and leadership skills to others. Adaora Ayoade, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 Some 43% of public roadways are in poor or mediocre condition, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, which gave the nation’s overall infrastructure a C- rating in its latest report card. Bart Ziegler, WSJ, 24 July 2022 Koch and business partner Steve Wagner were never timid or mediocre. Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2022 Online, social media users criticized the gift bag as mediocre and not fitting to show appreciation for an employee of almost three decades, according to People.com. Melissa Noel, Essence, 28 June 2022 The wrong rums make a Jet Pilot that’s befuddled and mediocre, but the right rums make this drink absolutely sing. Jason O'bryan, Robb Report, 11 June 2022 So far, studies testing Omicron boosters in mice and monkeys have yielded surprisingly mixed and mediocre results. Ryan Cross, BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2022 The new Giants regime keeps gutting an expensive and mediocre roster that has won all of 22 games over the past five seasons. Nate Atkins, The Indianapolis Star, 1 June 2022 Though the stage is full, there was far too much Timberlake to make this a good or even mediocre halftime show. oregonlive, 7 Feb. 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin mediocris "of medium size, moderate, middling, commonplace," perhaps originally "halfway to the top," from medius "middle, central" + -ocris, adjective derivative from the base of Old Latin ocris "rugged mountain," going back to Indo-European h₂oḱ-r-i- "point, peak, edge" (whence also Umbrian ukar, ocar* "citadel," Middle Irish ochair "edge, border," Welsh ochr, Greek ókris "top, point, corner"), derivative of h₂eḱ- "pointed" — more at mid entry 1, edge entry 1 Note: The base h₂oḱ-r-i- forms a pair with h₂eḱ-r- "sharp, pointed" (see acro-) and the two have been explained as part of an original "acrostatic" paradigm of a noun, with fixed stress on the root, o-vocalism in the direct cases and e-vocalism in the oblique cases, with Indo-European daughter languages generalizing one form or another. Note that Greek has both ókris,* as above, and ákris "hilltop, mountain peak." Perhaps also belonging here is Sanskrit aśri- "corner, angle, edge" (see at acro-), where the vowel may be either a or o. First Known Use circa 1586, in the meaning defined above Kids Definition mediocre adjective me·di·o·cre ˌmē-dē-ˈō-kər : not very good That restaurant is just mediocre. mediocre adjective 1 as in decent of average to below average quality your grades are mediocre and barely acceptable Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance decent middling satisfactory passable medium so-so ordinary indifferent second-rate common fair adequate run-of-the-mill respectable nice reasonable acceptable good run-of-the-mine second-class modest tolerable sufficient fine alright moderate run-of-mine unexceptional minimal all right okay presentable sufficing OK Antonyms & Near Antonyms excellent outstanding great superior stellar superb exceptional splendid terrific superlative special fantastic sensational prime marvelous exquisite optimal marvellous distinguished top fabulous classic supreme maximum optimum peerless choice sterling par excellence matchless grand nifty swell top-notch preeminent first-rate unsatisfactory capital unparalleled first-class inadequate unmatched unsurpassed unacceptable insufficient lacking tip-top deficient number one A1 No. 1 wanting See More 2 as in terrible of low quality mediocre carvings in a pseudo-African style that are sold to tourists Synonyms & Similar Words terrible poor inferior cheap bad rotten coarse worthless lousy shoddy crappy common useless wretched miserable rubbishy cheesy execrable junky cheapjack schlock trashy second-rate bum sleazy lackluster shlocky low-rent schlocky gimcrack trumpery fake low-grade counterfeit shlock cut-rate bargain-basement indifferent valueless gaudy tawdry el cheapo showy flashy shabby meretricious kitschy garish glitzy tacky kitsch swank ostentatious splashy seedy sham second-class swanky phony brummagem ultracheap supercheap phoney Antonyms & Near Antonyms excellent good superior fine top-notch first-rate elegant handsome first-class tasteful high-grade polished refined handcrafted See More
随便看	drums (out) drums into drums out drums out of drums up drumskin drumslade drumstick drumstick tree drumsticks drungar drunk drunk (in) drunk as a lord drunk as a skunk drunk driver drunk driving drunk in drunk tank drunk to drunk up drunkard drunkard's chair drunkards drunken

mediocre

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

adjective