meh

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For adjective/1, meh sits in the middle ground between so-so, underwhelming, and mediocre. So-so often sounds calmer and simply says something was neither good nor bad. Meh is more dismissive and conversational, often showing that the speaker expected more but cannot even be bothered to complain strongly. Underwhelming is more formal and usually points to disappointment after hype or high hopes. Mediocre is the most judgmental of the four, because it labels the quality itself as below a good standard. You might say The trailer was meh in a chat, call a restaurant underwhelming in a review, and describe repeated low-quality work as mediocre.

Etymology

A modern informal English expression recorded in the late twentieth century. It likely comes from an imitated flat sound of indifference or mild disappointment, which is why it works both as a spoken reaction and as an adjective for something unexciting.