adjective
mediocre
mee-dee-OH-ker/ˌmiːdiˈəʊkər/
Only moderate in quality.
The mediocre cake looks acceptable but lacks the fine finish of the best one.
Etymology
The roots give the image “halfway up a mountain,” which became a description of middling degree or quality. What could once mean neither good nor bad now commonly suggests disappointing ordinariness.
In context
we pay more for medical care than any other advanced industrial country and the quality of our healthcare is at best mediocre as the young woman pointed out in our ranking number 37
More examples
- The movie has great actors but a mediocre script.
- Even expensive cameras can take mediocre pictures in poor light.
- Her latest performance is mediocre compared with her earlier work.
Forms
mediocre · more mediocre · most mediocre
mediocrity noun — The quality of being only moderately good.
Similar words
- average
- Suggests typical quality without necessarily expressing disappointment or disapproval.
- passable
- Meets a minimum standard, though it may lack distinction.
- so-so
- Informally describes something as neither particularly good nor particularly bad.