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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.
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People interested in words always point out that mediocrity doesn't mean quite what its main root would indicate: Why doesn't it describe something that's right in the middle of the pack, exactly what you would expect? Instead the words mediocrity and mediocre always suggest disappointment. A mediocre play is one you wish you hadn't wasted an evening on, and the mediocre actor in it should probably find another profession. A person can even be called a mediocrity, though it isn't very nice and you'd never do it to his face.
Examples of mediocrity in a Sentence
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025
Seeking anything and everything to help rescue the Heat from a season-long cycle of mediocrity, coach Erik Spoelstra keeps turning to youth, inserting Kel’el Ware as a starter this week and increasing the roles of Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic during different stretches of the season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
After five years of consecutive loss-making amid mediocrity on the pitch and stagnant revenues off it, United have had to defer payments, spend on credit and pull different financial levers to maintain their level of investment in the playing squad.
—Mark Critchley, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
The part of Holland’s appearance that raised an eyebrow was his commitment to mediocrity in his sport.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mediocrity 
Dictionary Entries Near mediocrity
Cite this Entry
“Mediocrity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mediocrity. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
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mediocrity
noun
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