: extremely low in quality or value : worse than second-rate
third-rate hotels
a third-rate novelist
third-rat·er
-ātə-
: one that is third-rate
Examples of third-rate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ed Sokalski, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
This saves him the embarrassment of shows with third-rate performers and lots of empty seats.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2026
And, anyway, who but élitists would object to a big ballroom that looks like the banquet hall of a third-rate casino?
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Hart will insult Hammerstein as a third-rate talent and then, upon being face-to-face with his rival, spews over-the-top compliments.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
The third-rate pro-government propagandists on Channel 14 might not have seen this coming, but Netanyahu should have.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
The rescue of the redevelopment of the tawdry Coliseum site, the city’s third-rate convention center at Columbus Circle, is a stunning example of his skill at design and communication.
—Ed Wallace, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2025
And not by funneling taxpayer funds to elite private schools or third-rate for-profit universities regulated with all the strength of a friendship bracelet, but through public provision.
—Ryann Liebenthal, Harper's Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024
While her character is, essentially, a third-rate entertainer, there is no denying that Corey gives a first-rate performance.
—Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
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Adjective
CVTs are third-rate and do not belong in any vehicle ever.
—Ed Sokalski, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
This saves him the embarrassment of shows with third-rate performers and lots of empty seats.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2026
And, anyway, who but élitists would object to a big ballroom that looks like the banquet hall of a third-rate casino?
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Hart will insult Hammerstein as a third-rate talent and then, upon being face-to-face with his rival, spews over-the-top compliments.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
The third-rate pro-government propagandists on Channel 14 might not have seen this coming, but Netanyahu should have.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
The rescue of the redevelopment of the tawdry Coliseum site, the city’s third-rate convention center at Columbus Circle, is a stunning example of his skill at design and communication.
—Ed Wallace, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2025
And not by funneling taxpayer funds to elite private schools or third-rate for-profit universities regulated with all the strength of a friendship bracelet, but through public provision.
—Ryann Liebenthal, Harper's Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024
While her character is, essentially, a third-rate entertainer, there is no denying that Corey gives a first-rate performance.
—Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Third-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/third-rate. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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