mediocre
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me·di·o·cre
(mē′dē-ō′kər)adj.
Of ordinary or undistinguished quality. See Synonyms at average.
[French médiocre, from Latin mediocris : medius, middle; see medhyo- in Indo-European roots + ocris, a rugged mountain; see ak- in Indo-European roots.]
Word History: Belying the very meaning of the word, the adjective mediocre has a remarkable and unexpected etymology. Mediocre ultimately comes from Latin mediocris, which meant "middling, ordinary, unremarkable." The Latin word in turn is a compound based on a rather concrete metaphor—we often find that abstract words are rooted in vivid comparisons when we trace the history of words back till we hit bedrock. In this case, the bedrock is a Latin word for "mountain." Mediocris is a compound of the adjective medius, "half" or "in the middle," and ocris, "rugged mountain." Something that is mediocre is only midway up a mountain or rises up to only half a mountain's height, as it were—the thing goes just halfway to the highest point of excellence. The resemblance between the Latin word medius and English words like middle and midway is no accident. They are all ultimately descended from the Proto-Indo-European word *medhyo-, "middle."
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
mediocre
(ˌmiːdɪˈəʊkə; ˈmiːdɪˌəʊkə)adj
often derogatory average or ordinary in quality: a mediocre book.
[C16: via French from Latin mediocris moderate, literally: halfway up the mountain, from medius middle + ocris stony mountain]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
me•di•o•cre
(ˌmi diˈoʊ kər)adj.
of only ordinary or moderate quality; barely adequate.
[1580–90; < Middle French < Latin mediocris in a middle state, literally, at middle height =medi(us) mid1 + Old Latin ocris rugged mountain]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Adj. | 1. | mediocre - moderate to inferior in quality; "they improved the quality from mediocre to above average" inferior - of low or inferior quality |
| 2. | mediocre - lacking exceptional quality or ability; "a novel of average merit"; "only a fair performance of the sonata"; "in fair health"; "the caliber of the students has gone from mediocre to above average"; "the performance was middling at best" ordinary - not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree; "ordinary everyday objects"; "ordinary decency"; "an ordinary day"; "an ordinary wine" | |
| 3. | mediocre - poor to middling in quality; "there have been good and mediocre and bad artists" bad - having undesirable or negative qualities; "a bad report card"; "his sloppy appearance made a bad impression"; "a bad little boy"; "clothes in bad shape"; "a bad cut"; "bad luck"; "the news was very bad"; "the reviews were bad"; "the pay is bad"; "it was a bad light for reading"; "the movie was a bad choice" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
mediocre
adjective second-rate, average, ordinary, indifferent, middling, pedestrian, inferior, commonplace, vanilla (slang), insignificant, so-so (informal), banal, tolerable, run-of-the-mill, passable, undistinguished, uninspired, bog-standard (Brit. & Irish slang), no great shakes (informal), half-pie (N.Z. informal), fair to middling (informal) His university record was mediocre.
excellent, extraordinary, superb, distinguished, superior, distinctive, unrivalled, incomparable, unsurpassed, unexcelled
excellent, extraordinary, superb, distinguished, superior, distinctive, unrivalled, incomparable, unsurpassed, unexcelled
Quotations
"Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them. With Major it had been all three" [Joseph Heller Catch-22]
"Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them. With Major it had been all three" [Joseph Heller Catch-22]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
mediocre
adjective1. Being of no special quality or type:
2. Of low or lower quality:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مُعْتَدِل، وَسَط، عادي
prostřední
middelmådig
középszerû
miîlungs-, meîallags-
pusėtinasvidutiniškumasvidutinybė
viduvējs
povprečen
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
mediocre
adj → mittelmäßig
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
mediocre
(miːdiˈoukə) adjective not very good or great; ordinary. a mediocre performance/effort.
ˌmediˈocrity (-ˈo-) nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.