1
as in normality
the quality or state of being mediocre
She's a perfectionist who refuses to settle for mediocrity.
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2
as in nothing
a person of little fame
He surrounded himself with mediocrities to appear more notable by comparison.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mediocrity
Barring a miracle this will be four straight years in the mediocrity that is play-in purgatory.
—
Greg Cote
april 6, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Even amid current frustrations, there have been too many success stories to sweep the accomplishments aside, even amid the current hamster wheel of mediocrity.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
Cubs fans, meanwhile, are left wondering how their team couldn’t sweep either the Washington Nationals or the Los Angeles Angels on the first homestand and had to settle for mediocrity.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
The result was not mediocrity, but high competence without distinction.
—Big Think, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Greg Cote
april 6, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Even amid current frustrations, there have been too many success stories to sweep the accomplishments aside, even amid the current hamster wheel of mediocrity.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
Cubs fans, meanwhile, are left wondering how their team couldn’t sweep either the Washington Nationals or the Los Angeles Angels on the first homestand and had to settle for mediocrity.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
The result was not mediocrity, but high competence without distinction.
—Big Think, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mediocrity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocrity
Noun
-
Two weeks into the shaky, uncertain ceasefire, a form of normality has returned to the streets of Tehran.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Clearly, commercial shipping companies (specifically their insurers) will be hesitant to return to normality.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While CinemaCon 2026 brought us exciting news about new films, it was also bogged down with status quo nothings about how Amazon MGM still hasn’t found a new James Bond.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
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When Dana, who, like Virginia, had been successful in writing pleasant but undistinguished nothings—in her case, songs for Billy Rose’s revues—decided to try taking on more serious music by studying with Boulanger, Virginia entered a deep downward spiral.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Joe, who was selected because of his averageness, turns out to be the smartest person on Earth in the future and lands a job working for President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho (Terry Crews).—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After releasing two alluringly atmospheric final albums, Frozen and Notes Campfire, on a tiny German label, Souled American essentially vanished by the late ’90s, their discography sliding into out-of-print obscurity.—
Zach Schonfeld,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
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Aerosmith producer Jack Douglas rescued the group from obscurity after catching Cheap Trick’s act at a bowling alley in Waukesha, Wis.—
Marc Ballon,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Comment sections, therefore, are also important fields in which the acceptability of certain types of speech is tested and negotiated.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Who is providing the guardrails to mark the boundaries of acceptability?—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That comes to the Philippines in the form of war, as well as through the invocation, or establishment, of American-style modes of government and education that place Filipinos along this racial hierarchy, identifying them as these inferiors that need to be taught how to govern themselves.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Pesticides can be used to kill insects, rodents and weeds.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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The perennial herb attracts helpful insects and pollinators to its purple blooms, boosting pollination.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
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The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mediocrity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocrity. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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