mediocrity

C2 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /mi.dɪˈɑk.ɹɪ.ti/ UK /miː.dɪˈɒk.ɹɪ.ti/ See IPA manual

Freq #25722

Meanings

1

noun
The state of being only average and not very good.

The team's performance slipped into mediocrity after its star players left.
2

noun
A person with only ordinary, second-rate abilities.

He feared he would be remembered as a mediocrity rather than a genius.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state of being only... averagenessmiddlingness

2 noun · a person with only... second-rater

Word family

Forms mediocrities

Derived forms mediocritistmediocritizemultimediocritysubmediocrity

Related forms mean median mediate mediation mediator mediocre medium

Appears in

Proverbs (1)

See all

Good behavior is the last refuge of mediocrity

Etymology

From Middle French médiocrité, from Latin mediocritās, from mediocris; by surface analysis, mediocre + -ity.

médiocrité Middle French mediocritās Latin *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# mediocrity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /mi.dɪˈɑk.ɹɪ.ti/
**IPA (UK):** /miː.dɪˈɒk.ɹɪ.ti/
**Frequency rank:** 25722

## Meanings
1. The state of being only average and not very good.
2. A person with only ordinary, second-rate abilities.

## Examples
- The team's performance slipped into mediocrity after its star players left.
- He feared he would be remembered as a mediocrity rather than a genius.

## Derived Forms
- mediocritist
- mediocritize
- multimediocrity
- submediocrity

## Related Forms
- mean
- median
- mediate
- mediation
- mediator
- mediocre
- medium

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: médiocrité
- Root: mediocritās
- Root: *h₂eḱ-

## Etymology
From Middle French médiocrité, from Latin mediocritās, from mediocris; by surface analysis, mediocre + -ity.

## AI Etymology
Mediocrity is from Middle French médiocrité, from Latin mediocritās, from mediocris; by surface analysis, mediocre + -ity. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include médiocrité (Middle French), mediocritās (Latin), and *h₂eḱ- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include the state of being only average and not very good and a person with only ordinary, second-rate abilities. The wider family includes derived forms such as mediocritist, mediocritize, multimediocrity, and submediocrity; related words such as mean, median, mediate, and mediation.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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