mediocre
/ˌmiːdɪˈəʊkə
/adjective
Of only average quality; not very good: he is an enthusiastic if mediocre painter...
- It was a match of mediocre quality, although neither side was short of commitment.
- So I guess the conclusion is that this is a mediocre, eminently forgettable album.
- If we don't allow any quality commercial development then the town is doomed to a mediocre fate.
Synonyms
ordinary, common, commonplace, indifferent, average, middle-of-the-road, middling, medium, moderate, everyday, workaday, tolerable, passable, adequate, fair;
inferior, second-rate, uninspired, undistinguished, unexceptional, unexciting, unremarkable, run-of-the-mill, not very good, pedestrian, prosaic, lacklustre, forgettable, amateur, amateurish
informal OK, so-so, bog-standard, fair-to-middling, (plain) vanilla, nothing to write home about, no great shakes, not so hot, not up to much
New Zealand informal half-pie
Derivatives
mediocrely
- So surely it is safe to assume that, if I have played mediocrely at times, then so have other people.
- There are some really frustrating parts, not so much because it's hard or done poorly, but because they compare so mediocrely to the really good parts.
- It demands concentration, precision, dedication, and above all the freedom to perform well, mediocrely or badly without, usually, anyone else realizing except ourselves.
Origin
Late 16th century: from French médiocre, from Latin mediocris 'of middle height or degree', literally 'somewhat mountainous', from medius 'middle' + ocris 'rugged mountain'.
Mediocre is from Latin mediocris used to mean ‘of middle height or degree’, but literally ‘somewhat rugged or mountainous’, from medius ‘middle’ and ocris ‘rugged mountain’. Medius also gives us medium (late 16th century) and intermediate (Late Middle English), while meridian (Late Middle English) goes back to Latin meridianum ‘noon’ from medius dies ‘middle of the day’.