Standard Lemma guide

mediocre

adj · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌmiːdɪˈəʊkə/
  • UK: /ˈmiːdɪˌəʊkə/
  • US: /ˌmidiˈoʊkəɹ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M IY2 D IY0 OW1 K ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not excellent or outstanding, usually disappointingly so.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I'm pretty good at tennis but only mediocre at racquetball.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: common, commonplace, ordinary

Antonyms: great, distinguished, exceptional, outstanding, remarkable, peculiar, ace, admirable, amazing, awe-inspiring, awesome, badass, bang on, bang-up, studly, based, beatific, beneship, bitching, blissful, bomb, brilliant, bully, celestial, cher, choice, chronic, chur, cock on, commendable, cool, copacetic, crackerjack, cushty, dank, def, delightful, divine, dope, epic, excellent, exemplary, exquisite, extraordinary, fab, fabulous, fantabulosa, fantastic, fierce, finger-lickin' good, fire, fireball, first-rate, fly, frabjous, glorious, gnarly, goated, grouse, heavenlike, heavenly, immaculate, impeccable, incredible, kick-ass, kicking, killer, lash, lautitious, lit, magnificent, marvelous, nang, out of sight, phat, peak, peng, phenomenal, pog, poggers, priceless, pukka, quality, rad, radical, rum, sensational, sick, slap-up, slick, spectacular, spiffing, splendid, spot on, stellar, sterling, stunning, super, superb, superior, sweet, swell, terrific, tight, top, top-drawer, top-hole, top-notch, top-of-the-range, top-shelf, topping, tubular, tuff, well-done, wicked, wicked pissah, wonderful, worldie, abysmal, atrocious, awful, bad, coarse, corny, crap, crapalicious, crappy, crummy, deityforsaken, dire, disagreeable, dismal, dogshit, dreadful, fifth-rate, foul, fourth-rate, godawful, hellish, hideous, hopeless, horrendous, horrid, horrible, horrific, inadequate, incompetent, inelegant, intolerable, inferior, lackluster, loathsome, lousy, miserable, naff, negative, odious, ordinary, pathetic, piss-poor, rotten, rubbish, shitawful, shitty, sixth-rate, sloppy, subpar, terrible, unfavorable, wack

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person of minor significance, accomplishment or acclaim; a common and undistinguished person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: great

3

noun

Meaning 3

A member of a socioeconomic class between the upper ranks of society and the agricultural workers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

poor to middling in quality

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • there have been good and mediocre and bad artists

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

lacking exceptional quality or ability

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • 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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: average, fair, middling

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

moderate to inferior in quality

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they improved the quality from mediocre to above average

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: second-rate

Antonyms: none provided

History

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.

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُتَوَسِّط (mutawassiṭ) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Azerbaijani: ortabab — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Azerbaijani: babat — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Azerbaijani: adi — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Azerbaijani: miyanə — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Belarusian: пасрэ́дны (pasrédny) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Belarusian: сярэ́дні (sjarédni) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Bulgarian: посре́дствен (posrédstven) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Catalan: mediocre — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Chinese Mandarin: 平庸 (píngyōng) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Chinese Mandarin: 平凡 (píngfán) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Chinese Mandarin: 平平 (píngpíng) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Chinese Mandarin: 庸碌 (yōnglù) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Czech: průměrný — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Danish: middelmådig — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Dutch: middelmatig — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Esperanto: mezbona — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Esperanto: mezklalita — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Esperanto: averaĝa — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Finnish: keskinkertainen — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Finnish: kohtalainen — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Finnish: keskiverto — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Finnish: hääppöinen — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • French: médiocre — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Galician: mediocre — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Galician: nin arre nin xo — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • German: mittelmäßig — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Greek: μέτριος (métrios) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Greek: παρακατιανός (parakatianós) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: मध्यम (madhyam) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: दरमियानी (darmiyānī) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: बीच का (bīc kā) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: बीच की रास (bīc kī rās) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: मुतवस्सित (mutvassit) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: बैन-बैन (bain-bain) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: दरमियाना (darmiyānā) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: औसत दर्जे का (ausat darje kā) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: मोतदिल (motdil) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: माध्यमिक (mādhyamik) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hindi: औसत (ausat) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hungarian: középszerű — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Hungarian: közepes — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Italian: mediocre — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Japanese: 凡庸な (bon'yō na) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Japanese: 平凡な (heibon na) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Korean: 평범하다 (pyeongbeomhada) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Latin: mediocris — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Macedonian: сре́ден (sréden) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Macedonian: про́сечен (prósečen) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Norwegian Bokmål: middelmådig — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: middelmåtig — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Persian: کممایه (kam-mâye) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Polish: średni — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Polish: mierny — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Polish: przeciętny — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Polish: niespecjalny — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Portuguese: medíocre — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Portuguese: meia-boca — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Romanian: mediocru — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Russian: посре́дственный (posrédstvennyj) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Russian: зауря́дный (zaurjádnyj) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Russian: сре́дний (srédnij) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Russian: нева́жный (nevážnyj) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Serbo-Croatian: осредњи — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Serbo-Croatian: osrednji — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Slovak: priemerný — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Slovak: prostredný — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Spanish: mediocre — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Swedish: medelmåttig — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Tagalog: madampat — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Turkish: vasat — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Turkish: sıradan — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Ukrainian: посере́дній (poserédnij) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Ukrainian: аби́який (abýjakyj) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Ukrainian: сере́дній (serédnij) — having no peculiar or outstanding features
  • Chinese Mandarin: 庸人 (yōngrén) — person of minor significance, accomplishment or acclaim
  • French: médiocre — person of minor significance, accomplishment or acclaim
  • German: Mittelmäßige — person of minor significance, accomplishment or acclaim
  • Greek: μετριότητα (metriótita) — person of minor significance, accomplishment or acclaim
  • Japanese: 庸人 (yōjin) — person of minor significance, accomplishment or acclaim
  • Japanese: 凡人 (bonjin) — person of minor significance, accomplishment or acclaim