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mediocrity

noun

me·​di·​oc·​ri·​ty ˌmē-dē-ˈä-krə-tē How to pronounce mediocrity (audio)
plural mediocrities
1
a
: the quality or state of being mediocre
came to terms with his mediocrity
b
: moderate ability or value
fed up with the mediocrity of the local schools
2
: a mediocre person
a most intelligent middle-aged mediocrity Oscar Wilde

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.

Did you know?

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.

Example Sentences

We were disappointed by the mediocrity of the wine. He thought that he was a brilliant artist himself and that all his fellow painters were just mediocrities.
Recent Examples on the Web Leading indicators suggest the Sox have found their mojo after five months of mediocrity. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 Elliott, Pry and Elko take over programs that have suffered through stretches of mediocrity and all three feature young rosters. Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2022 The sharps foresee new coach Doug Pederson, a leading coach-of-the-year candidate, teaming with second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence to move closer to mediocrity. Lance Pugmire, USA TODAY, 28 Aug. 2022 Trying to be excellent at everything leads to mediocrity. Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 But Pace and Nagy ultimately failed to lift the organization out of the mediocrity muck it has been stuck in since the early 1990s. Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2022 Training and credentialing programs have been dumping mediocrity into American schools for decades. Daniel Buck, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 Columnist Bill Plaschke writes that the new contract guarantees more Lakers mediocrity. Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2022 This 1972 single release even made it into the Top Ten in the UK (like that excuses cloying mediocrity). Liza Lentini, SPIN, 20 July 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mediokerte, mediocrite "moderation, medium size or amount," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French mediocrité "intermediate state," borrowed from Latin mediocritāt-, mediocritās "moderateness of size or amount, intermediate character, limited ability," from mediocris "of medium size, moderate, mediocre" + -itāt-, -itās -ity

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of mediocrity was in 1588

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