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médiocre

mediocre, average

adjective meh-DYOKR Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Quality

Origin: From Latin mediocris (of middle height), from medius (middle) + ocris (rugged mountain peak).

Also means

poor quality

Usage Note

médiocre is invariable for gender (same form for masculine and feminine) but takes a final s in the plural. It implies falling below expectations rather than being absolutely bad. In the French school grading system, a mark between 5 and 10 out of 20 is informally described as médiocre.

Examples

"Son travail était vraiment médiocre."

Natural Translation

His work was truly mediocre.

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