Meaning & use
mediocre person
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Meanings
phrasecountable
A person who is average or ordinary and not especially good at anything.
Grammar: Countable phrase: a mediocre person, two mediocre people. The plural is 'mediocre people', not 'mediocre persons' in everyday speech.
Patterns
- a mediocre person
- mediocre people
- be a mediocre person
- feel like a mediocre person
He was not a bad worker, just a mediocre person who never stood out.
Some people worry that they are a mediocre person compared with their successful friends.
The coach said the team needed leaders, not mediocre people who only followed orders.
phrasecountabledisapproving
A person of ordinary ability or character, used when comparing them with someone unusually talented or successful.
Grammar: Often used after 'just' or 'only' to soften the criticism: just a mediocre person, only a mediocre person.
Patterns
- just a mediocre person
- only a mediocre person
- not a mediocre person
In a room full of geniuses, even a good student can feel like a mediocre person.
She refused to accept that she was just a mediocre person and worked harder than anyone else.
History remembers the great names and forgets the mediocre people.
Common combinations
- a mediocre performance
- The film received a mediocre performance from its lead actor.
- feel mediocre
- After the exam, he felt mediocre and unsure about his future.
- mediocre talent
- The show is full of mediocre talent that never improves.
- perfectly mediocre
- The restaurant was perfectly mediocre: not bad, not great.
Synonyms and how they differ
- average person
- Neutral and factual; it does not suggest the person is disappointing, while 'mediocre person' often does.
- ordinary person
- Emphasizes being normal and unremarkable; it is gentler than 'mediocre person'.
- underachiever
- Focuses on not reaching one's potential; 'mediocre person' focuses on being average in general.
Opposites
Word family
- mediocrity noun
- The state or quality of being average or not very good.
- mediocre adjective
- Average or not very good; the adjective form.
- mediocrely adverb
- In an average or unimpressive way; rare.
Commonly confused: mediocre person or medium? mediocre person or moderate?
mediocre person vs medium
Medium means middle in size, amount, or level; it is neutral and not a criticism of a person.
mediocre person vs moderate
Moderate means not extreme, often in politics or amounts; it does not mean 'not good enough'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'mediocre person' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses the phrase to describe someone's average ability. Option 1 is wrong because 'of' does not fit; option 2 has a plural subject with a singular phrase; option 3 uses the phrase as a verb, which is impossible.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mediocre person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.