sec·ond-rate
ˌse-kən(d)-ˈrāt 
: of second or inferior quality or value : mediocre
a second-rate restaurant
second-rateness
noun
: one that is second-rate
a team made up of aging second-raters
Examples of second-rate in a Sentence
Adjective
a second-rate song from a songwriter who has done much better
a second-rate company that was never considered among the top manufacturers of televisions
second-rate goods specifically manufactured for the low end of the market
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
For those who don't know his story, Darnold has gone through so much during his last eight seasons, including being pushed around the league like a second-rate quarterback and being called a bust by many in the profession.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
For three months, Turner’s college football programming has been limited to second-rate Big 12 games, with Fox and ESPN retaining rights to the conference’s most appealing matchups.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, TPUs are far from a second-rate technology.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
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Adjective
The animation features a lot of rotoscoping, and the result is an aesthetic that’s both oddly fluid and charmingly cheap, like some second-rate Ralph Bakshi effort.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
For those who don't know his story, Darnold has gone through so much during his last eight seasons, including being pushed around the league like a second-rate quarterback and being called a bust by many in the profession.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
For three months, Turner’s college football programming has been limited to second-rate Big 12 games, with Fox and ESPN retaining rights to the conference’s most appealing matchups.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, TPUs are far from a second-rate technology.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Cite this Entry
“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second-rate. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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