Make Your Point: MEDIOCRE

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pronounce MEDIOCRE:

mee dee OH cur

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

Here's a delightful fact: mediocre literally means "midway up a mountain."

While we're pondering that, let's recall an adjective named for a character from Greek myth who spent most of his time midway up a mountain:

Something Sis____an involves pointless, endless hard work, like rolling a heavy rock up a hill, only to see it roll back down, over and over, for all eternity.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

In Latin, medius means "middle" and ocris means "a stony, rugged, or jagged mountain."

So, you can see how our English word "mediocre" has Latin bits that literally mean "midway up a mountain." (Or "midway down a mountain," depending on your perspective.)

We've used it in English since the 1500s to describe people and things that are neither terrible nor excellent, but in the middle.

In other words, mediocre things are just fine, just okay, middling, average, not impressive, not exciting, but not awful, either. Ho-hum.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a mediocre performance;" "The dessert was mediocre."

Other forms:

There's an adverb, but it's awkward: "mediocrely."

The noun for the quality is really fun to say: "mediocrity" ("mee dee OCK ruh dee").

Those are all the common forms. But let's see the rare ones, too...

Things can "mediocritize," meaning they become mediocre over time. And you can mediocritize things, too: make them become mediocre. That process of becoming mediocre, or of making things mediocre, is "mediocritization."

People who are mediocre at what they do are "mediocrists."

Lastly, if you live in a society that rewards mediocrity, call it a "mediocracy," and the people in charge "mediocrats."

how to use it:

"Mediocre" is common, fun to say, and slightly insulting. It's a great alternative if you find yourself saying "meh" or "decent" a lot.

You might talk about mediocre people with mediocre talents, such as mediocre athletes, musicians, students, writers, etc.

Or, talk about mediocre food, music, writing, television, performances and so on.

examples:

"You were not expected to aspire to excellence: you were expected to make peace with mediocrity."
— James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time, 1963

"Despite the mediocre flying capabilities of its namesake, Chick-fil-A is ready for takeoff. The company reportedly has a $1B plan under its wing to expand into Europe and Asia by 2026."
— Jacob Cohen, The Hustle, 13 March 2023

has this page helped you understand "mediocre"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "mediocre" without saying "good enough" or "unexceptional."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "I'm only mediocre (in some specific area or skill); (I'm better at some other thing)."

Example 1: "I'm only mediocre on the ukulele and the piccolo guitar; I'm better at singing."

Example 2: "I was only mediocre with a sewing machine; I did my best work by hand."
— Tahereh Mafi, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, 2018

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for May is "The Rock & Roll Hall of Game."

It's inspired by a Jeopardy! category called Foodstock.

I'll give you a clue, and you'll try to come up with the tweaked name of a group or solo artist from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

For example, if I give you "They're an American boy band fond of surfing, California, rich vocal harmonies, and helping the Mario Brothers rescue the princess," then you give me "The Peach Boys" (a playful blend of "The Beach Boys" and "Princess Peach" from the Mario games).

Try this last one today: I hope you guess their name: these British hard rockers have given us six satisfying decades of counterculture songs. More recently, they've mastered the flashy tricks and the conic essentials to dominate their opponents in Dunshire.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. Opposites of MEDIOCRE include

A. GRUBBY and PRISTINE.
B. ROCK-BOTTOM and PEAK.
C. SUBMERGED and AERIAL.

2. Watch enough Star Trek, with its profoundly rational and humane United Federation of Planets, and soon your own government starts to look like _____.

A. a mediocritization
B. a mediocracy, or even an idiocracy
C. a mediocriture, or even an excessiture

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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