MEDIOCRE Synonyms: 152 Similar and Opposite Words

mediocre

adjective

ˌmē-dē-ˈō-kər

Definition of mediocre

as in decent

of average to below average quality your grades are mediocre and barely acceptable

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in poor

of low quality mediocre carvings in a pseudo-African style that are sold to tourists

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of mediocre On paper, the Brewers will pose a significantly tougher challenge than the Chicago Cubs’ mediocre staff. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 The main downside is mediocre image quality due to limited color coverage and modest brightness, which largely limits it to lower-impact tasks like working with office documents and viewing web pages and short videos. — Tony Hoffman, PC Magazine, 26 Sep. 2026 With mercurial, mediocre Baylor leading 13-6 to start the fourth quarter, CU responded by rushing the ball on six of its first seven plays to open the stanza. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2026 Get safety play right, and a mediocre defense suddenly looks like Mensa members in cleats. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mediocre

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediocre

Adjective

The role of a legitimate people’s government is to level the playing field between the billionaires and the rest of us who are just trying to provide ourselves with decent, dignified lives and get ahead.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
Like any decent strength coach, Potts and his staff hold their athletes to the consistent standard of challenging themselves.

— PJ Green October 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of decent

Adjective

Measles usually kills two or three people in every 1,000 cases, the WHO says, but the disease can be more deadly in poorer nations because of factors such as malnutrition.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
That receiver sends that poor defender into next week at the pylon.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

An uninterrupted trip Stoliker thinks chaos is not a satisfactory explanation for psychedelics’ effect on the brain.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026
After months of negotiations failed to yield a satisfactory agreement, the union approved strike action earlier this month in a vote held in tandem with unions at the Brooklyn Museum and American Folk Art Museum.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of satisfactory

Adjective

And then none of it mattered because his special teams bailed him out with a big kick return (thanks to a terrible decision by Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to even allow a kick return in the first place) followed by a walk-off field goal.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
The story follows the transformation of Adriana (Colin), a woman shattered by a terrible murder and who discovers the strength to start over, driven by an unquenchable thirst for justice.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of terrible

Adjective

But some of that is surely on the fact the Browns offensive line has been inconsistent, coach Todd Monken's offense is a work in progress and the running game is middling.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
This isn’t entirely surprising given how middling reviews for the film have been.

— Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of middling

Adjective

Investors now see access to cheap and reliable power as a precondition for European companies to compete long-term.

— Sophie Dembinski, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Telehealth sites hit their first jackpot in the 2010s, when Viagra and other drugs for erectile dysfunction came off patent, allowing for the sale of cheaper generics.

— Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

That could create an unusual situation in which an ordinary consumer turns on a feature built into a mainstream device and, at least technically, runs afoul of state law by using it during a private conversation without everyone's consent.

— MacKenzie Sigalos,Annie Palmer, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026
Spanish scientists have developed an experimental type of self-disinfecting cotton fabric, which is activated via ordinary white light.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of ordinary

Adjective

The idea is to sound like an inferior buck in the brush, one that is roaming around a mature deer’s space and getting on his nerves.

— Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026
Only 272 yards, at home, against a UCLA team that unquestionably has inferior talent?

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of inferior

Browse Nearby Words

medieval

mediocre

mediocrities

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Cite this Entry

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“Mediocre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediocre. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of mediocre

adjective

Example Sentences

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