mediocre
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Etymology tree
Borrowed from French médiocre, from Classical Latin mediocris (“in a middle state”, “of middle size”, “middling”, “moderate”, “ordinary”, from medius (“middle”) + ocris (“rugged mountain”)); compare mediocrely and mediocrity.
Pronunciation
Adjective
mediocre (comparative more mediocre, superlative most mediocre)
- Not excellent or outstanding, usually disappointingly so.[1]
- Synonyms: common, commonplace, ordinary; see also Thesaurus:mediocre
- Antonyms: great, distinguished, exceptional, outstanding, remarkable, peculiar; see also Thesaurus:excellent, Thesaurus:bad
- I'm pretty good at tennis but only mediocre at racquetball.
- 1959 June, O. S. Nock, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 409:
- The standard ranges from runs that are almost sensational in the speed and brilliance of the work to the ultra-mediocre.
- 1968, William Arthur Ward, Thoughts of a Christian Optimist[2], Droke House:
- The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
- 2023 August 24, Sarah Naftalis & Lauren Wells, “The Roast” (8:36 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows[3], season 5, episode 8, spoken by Baron Afanas (Doug Jones):
- “Look at this festive assembly. All of us, gathered here together, chuckling at jokes and silliness.” [laughter] “And jackanapery.” [rim shots] “I guess there's only one thing left to say. What is this shit?” [rim shot] [laughter] “[laughs] Very good.” “You call yourselves vampires? Bah. This entire evening has been nothing but a pageant of insipid nonsense.” “[laughing] Yes.” “Worshipping at the altar of your own mediocre frivolity. A jester's hollow dance. And who is laughing?” “Yeah! [whoops] [grunts]” “Vampires are supposed to have blood orgies and slaughter circles. Gah! You have all gone soft. You even invited humans to this asinine affair.”
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
having no peculiar or outstanding features
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Noun
mediocre (plural mediocres)
- A person of minor significance, accomplishment or acclaim; a common and undistinguished person.
- Antonym: great
- 1825, “Present State of Literature”, in The Gentleman's Magazine[4], volume XCV, second part, page 197:
- Of the hundreds of inferior poets, who are continually offering their sonnets and addresses to the Moon, (or to the public instead of that luminary,) Wade, Barton, Wiffen, and Bailey, are the most conspicuous. Wade is a new aspirant, but gives strong prognostications of genius. Barton and Bailey are above the mediocres, and Wiffen tolerable.
- 2014, Todd Whitaker, Dealing with Difficult Teachers, Third Edition, page 84:
- After this lecture, how do the mediocres feel? They probably feel indifferent or mad. Perhaps they were not even paying attention. The question is, are they more likely to be in the hallway tomorrow? Probably not.
- (historical) A member of a socioeconomic class between the upper ranks of society and the agricultural workers.
Translations
person of minor significance, accomplishment or acclaim
References
- ^ “mediocre - Common Errors in English Usage and More - Washington State University”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[1], 20 April 2020 (last accessed), archived from the original on 17 April 2026
Further reading
- “mediocre”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “mediocre”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
Anagrams
Catalan
Pronunciation
Adjective
mediocre m or f (masculine and feminine plural mediocres)
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “mediocre”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
Italian
Pronunciation
Adjective
mediocre m or f by sense (plural mediocri)
Noun
mediocre m or f by sense (plural mediocri)
- mediocre person; mediocrity
Related terms
Anagrams
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [mɛˈdi.ɔ.krɛ]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [meˈdiː.o.kre]
Adjective
mediocre
Portuguese
Adjective
mediocre m or f (plural mediocres)
- pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of medíocre
- 1933, Graciliano Ramos, chapter XIII, in Cahetés[5], Rio de Janeiro: Livraria Schmidt Editora, page 101:
- Trabalhei damnadamente, e o resultado foi mediocre. Sou incapaz de saber o que se passa na alma dum anthropophago.
- I worked awfully, and the result was mediocre. I’m incapable of knowing what goes on in the soul of a man-eater.
Spanish
Etymology
Etymology tree
Learned borrowing from Latin mediocris.
Pronunciation
Adjective
mediocre m or f (masculine and feminine plural mediocres)
Related terms
Further reading
- “mediocre”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
Categories:
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁-
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *médʰyos
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂eḱ-
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from Proto-Italic
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- Rhymes:Italian/ɔkre
- Rhymes:Italian/ɔkre/3 syllables
- Italian lemmas
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- Portuguese forms superseded in 1943
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- Spanish terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂eḱ-
- Spanish terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁-
- Spanish terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Spanish terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *médʰyos
- Spanish learned borrowings from Latin
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- Spanish terms derived from Latin
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- Spanish 3-syllable words
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- Rhymes:Spanish/okɾe
- Rhymes:Spanish/okɾe/3 syllables
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