second-class

1 of 2

adjective

sec·​ond-class ˈse-kən(d)-ˈklas 

-kᵊŋ-

1

: of or relating to a second class

2

: mediocre

also : socially, politically, or economically deprived

second class

2 of 2

noun

1

: the second and usually next to highest group in a classification

2

: cabin class

3

: a class of U.S. or Canadian mail comprising periodicals sent to regular subscribers

Synonyms of second-class

Adjective

• inferior
• minor
• mean
• smaller

Examples of second-class in a Sentence

Adjective

a playwright who produced only second-class work when he turned his hand to poetry

it's only a second-class restaurant and not worth the high prices

Noun

The airline offers special services for travelers in first and second class.

She got an upper second class in English at Oxford.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Harari and many proponents of the ethical view of affective sentientism want suffering to be the defining criterion that protects conscious beings from becoming second-class citizens to intelligent machines. — Andréa Morris, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

For most of Season 3, many of those riders have come to realize that dragon riding is a whole lot of work with very little pay and they are still treated like second-class citizens. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026

Noun

Firstly, Hodges, a musical instrument salesman, was traveling for pleasure and was on his way to Boston to see some friends, traveling in second class. — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 21 July 2026

Smalley said the Dance for Parkinson's classes in Norman proved so popular that a second class was added. — Carla Hinton, Oklahoman, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for second-class

• fiberglass
• fibreglass
• hourglass
• isinglass
• lemongrass
• martinmas
• orchardgrass
• overpass
• plexiglas
• plexiglass
• sassafras
• superclass

Kids Definition

second-class

adjective

1

: of or relating to a class next below the first or highest class

2

a

: inferior entry 1 sense 3, mediocre

b

: deprived of wealth or social rank