second-rate

adjective

sec·​ond-rate ˌse-kən(d)-ˈrāt 

: of second or inferior quality or value : mediocre

a second-rate restaurant

second-rateness noun

second-rater

ˌse-kən(d)-ˈrā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• common
• fair
• indifferent
• mediocre
• medium
• middling
• ordinary
• passable
• run-of-the-mill
• run-of-the-mine
• run-of-mine
• second-class
• so-so

Examples of second-rate in a Sentence

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

The scandal led to a divorce, followed by Fred’s relocation to a second-rate college on the West Coast—everything had been predictable, stale like last week’s bread. —Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025

The father, Buddy Smart (Bryan Cranston), is the clan’s second-rate crackpot visionary, a cockeyed optimist who dresses in fuddy-duddy jackets and never knows where the next paycheck is coming from. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 June 2025

Ultimately, they might be forced to accept a system that codifies them as second-rate. —Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 4 June 2025

High-quality data have failed to validate those questions, so second-rate research has often been used to make the case against mifepristone. —Keren Landman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1669, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for second-rate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

second-rate

adjective

sec·​ond-rate

ˌsek-ən-ˈ(d)rāt

: of second or ordinary quality or value : mediocre