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
Synonyms
Examples of second-rate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But there’s another component to the issue of second-rate men’s basketball: The collective ceiling.
—
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
American doctors are excellent but so are physicians around the globe
U.S. physicians believe that training outside the states is a second-rate education.
—Robert Pearl, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Imagine an English literature course that included no books written after 1600; a philosophy syllabus designed on the assumption that all philosophers after David Hume were second-rate; an archaeology professor who refused to teach anything postdating the Lower Paleolithic.
—Peter Thonemann, WSJ, 5 Jan. 2024
East Coast media have started to sour on sample sale culture, with their hours-long waits, appointment systems and second-rate selection.
—Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023
According to Charter, Disney had placed some of its best content exclusively on its streamers, leaving cable with second-rate content.
—Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2023
The sing-song qualities of his music did not sit well with many music critics, who dismissed him as a second-rate talent with little to offer.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023
While Twitter’s DMs have set a benchmark for effortless speed, even rendering email second-rate for some, LinkedIn’s messaging interface remains tangled.
—Vivek Wadhwa, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2023
After all, the media companies are only going to spend so much for the rights to broadcast second-rate games.
—Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 14 Aug. 2023
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
American doctors are excellent but so are physicians around the globe
U.S. physicians believe that training outside the states is a second-rate education.
—Robert Pearl, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Imagine an English literature course that included no books written after 1600; a philosophy syllabus designed on the assumption that all philosophers after David Hume were second-rate; an archaeology professor who refused to teach anything postdating the Lower Paleolithic.
—Peter Thonemann, WSJ, 5 Jan. 2024
East Coast media have started to sour on sample sale culture, with their hours-long waits, appointment systems and second-rate selection.
—Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023
According to Charter, Disney had placed some of its best content exclusively on its streamers, leaving cable with second-rate content.
—Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2023
The sing-song qualities of his music did not sit well with many music critics, who dismissed him as a second-rate talent with little to offer.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023
While Twitter’s DMs have set a benchmark for effortless speed, even rendering email second-rate for some, LinkedIn’s messaging interface remains tangled.
—Vivek Wadhwa, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2023
After all, the media companies are only going to spend so much for the rights to broadcast second-rate games.
—Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 14 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'second-rate.' 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
1669, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near second-rate
Cite this Entry
“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second-rate. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
second-rate
adjective
sec·ond-rate
ˌsek-ən-ˈ(d)rāt
: of second or ordinary quality or value : mediocre
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