1
as in decent
of average to below average quality
a second-rate song from a songwriter who has done much better
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inferior
of little or less value or merit
a second-rate company that was never considered among the top manufacturers of televisions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cheap
of low quality
second-rate goods specifically manufactured for the low end of the market
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of second-rate
Meanwhile, TPUs are far from a second-rate technology.
—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
17 Dec. 2025
Moreno said Bad Bunny is a second-rate performer and said his performing at the Super Bowl is a partisan choice.
—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Oct. 2025
The freshman quarterback has faced second-rate competition thus far and has daunting matchups next month.
—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
24 Sep. 2025
Occasionally held back by a very mid-'00s aesthetic and stylistic choices that come across second-rate David Lynch, No Smoking is nonetheless an effectively paranoid adaptation of King for another culture.
—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
17 Dec. 2025
Moreno said Bad Bunny is a second-rate performer and said his performing at the Super Bowl is a partisan choice.
—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Oct. 2025
The freshman quarterback has faced second-rate competition thus far and has daunting matchups next month.
—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
24 Sep. 2025
Occasionally held back by a very mid-'00s aesthetic and stylistic choices that come across second-rate David Lynch, No Smoking is nonetheless an effectively paranoid adaptation of King for another culture.
—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-rate
Adjective
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There are still a few days of group stage games to go, but Bosnia-Herzegovina's four points and three goals today have given it decent odds.
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For Sacramento, that means another afternoon with temps briefly in the low to mid-90s before a decent Delta breeze kicks in.
Adjective
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Against Australia in the last 16, Argentina were again labouring when faced with an inferior opponent, digging in and determined to spoil their World Cup dreams.
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Uruguay tied again, this time a 2-2 stalemate against another adversary that less than two weeks ago, pretty much every soccer pundit would have deemed inferior.
Adjective
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The revolution won’t come cheap.
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Across six online experiments, the researchers showed participants a cheaper lower-quality item such as a sweater alongside a pricier higher-quality version.
Adjective
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And a mediocre company can become an extraordinary one when almost everyone has already given up.
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Instead, Peralta has been worse than mediocre.
Adjective
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Messi had been dealing with a minor hamstring injury with Inter Miami that slowed him in the lead-up to the World Cup.
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Nearly four-fifths of respondents said that gas prices present some sort of strain, with 34% categorizing it as a major strain and 44% calling it a minor strain.
Adjective
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Rebecca Lowe joins Dan Patrick to discuss some of the top storylines around the World Cup, including Cristiano Ronaldo's poor play to start, the United States' potential and more.
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Will the gap between rural and urban America – and the gap between rich and poor America – decline or grow?
Adjective
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For writing, editing, spreadsheets, email, and web browsing, performance proved entirely satisfactory.
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Iran hawks and an array of dissidents and mainstream voices within the Republican Party have cast doubt on whether the agreement secured satisfactory concessions from Iran.
Adjective
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The movement, with an 80-hour power reserve and a frequency of 4 Hz, is also home to a perpetual calendar and an equation of time display, showing the difference between mean solar time, shown on the main dial, and true solar time, which fluctuates due to the Earth’s elliptical orbit.
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Piña then says that Joe and Angela are mean to each other.
Cite this Entry
“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-rate. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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