: a list or group of individuals who are prominent but not important or popular enough to be on the A-list

Examples of B-list in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This year, it was divided into, in effect, an A-list (those whose image got a moment onscreen to itself), a B-list (onscreen in a group, in an array of five thin vertical images), and a C-list (a bunch of names with no images, seemingly several dozen of them fading in and out onscreen). Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Life is weird sometimes and B-list fame is no insulation. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024 Instead, set your sights on a B-list destination for spring, such as a northern beach resort. Christopher Elliott, King Features Syndicate, The Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2024 Fueled by a director, Jon Favreau, who had plenty of independent-cinema experience, and a leading man, Robert Downey Jr., with nothing to lose, the story of Tony Stark — a B-list comic-book character — took off like a shot, and everything that fell into place in his wake felt like another miracle. Vulture, 21 Nov. 2023 Today’s great reads Big-name actors, B-list movies and the indie producer who has faced a trail of fraud lawsuits. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023 Trying to elevate B-list superheroes Kathryn Newton and Paul Rudd in Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaJay Maidment—Marvel Studios The years following 2019's Avengers: Endgame were always going to be a rebuilding period for the MCU. TIME, 6 Oct. 2023 The Avengers started out as a counter-blast to DC Comics’ Justice League of America but initially spotlighted mainly B-list superheroes. Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023 Complex ranked 36 of its favorites, and Okayplayer ranked 20 hip-hop B-list movies. Keith McMillan, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'B-list.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of B-list was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near B-list

Cite this Entry

“B-list.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/B-list. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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