Word
mediocre
Phoneticsmedi·ocre
US/ˌmidiˈoʊkɝ/
UK/mˌiːdɪˈəʊkɐ/
Definitions
01not very good
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. not very good or special; just average in a way that is disappointing.
adj. of only moderate quality; not very good or impressive. Usually carries a pejorative nuance suggesting a failure to reach a higher standard.
“The food at the new restaurant was mediocre, so we probably won't go back.”
“Despite the massive marketing budget, the film received mediocre reviews from critics who found the plot predictable and the acting uninspired.”
Antonyms
02an unremarkable person
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Literary · Formal
n. a person who does not have any special skills or success.
n. a person of low or unremarkable significance, talent, or achievement.
“He was a mediocre among giants, struggling to keep up with his talented peers.”
“The essay argues that the era was defined not by its great leaders, but by the rise of the mediocres who filled the administrative ranks.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03historical middle class
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic · Technical
n. a person in history who was between the rich upper class and the poor workers.
n. a member of a socioeconomic class situated between the aristocracy and the peasantry.
“In that society, a mediocre had more rights than a farmer but fewer than a lord.”
“The historian examined the legal status of the mediocres in sixteenth-century social hierarchies.”
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“But the design has always had real shortcomings—the most noticeable and serious being its mediocre battery life.” “Of course, if a coffee is low-quality or mediocre, there is little point trying to preserve its specific profile.” “I have cut white oaks for basketry that were of the same age and that grew side by side; I found one beautiful to work and the other only mediocre.” “One disastrously bad token — say, p = 10 -6 — will drag the whole score down, while a few over-confident correct predictions can make a mediocre model look good on average.” Etymology
From the late Middle English medioker, from the French médiocre, from the Middle French médiocre, from the Classical Latin mediocris (“in a middle state”, “of middle size”, “middling”, “moderate”, “ordinary”, from medius (“middle”) + ocris (“rugged mountain”)); compare mediocrely and mediocrity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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