secondary

1 of 2

adjective

sec·​ond·​ary ˈse-kən-ˌder-ē 

1

a

: of second rank, importance, or value

b

: of, relating to, or constituting the second strongest of the three or four degrees of stress recognized by most linguists

the fourth syllable of basketball team carries secondary stress

c

of a tense : expressive of past time

2

a

: immediately derived from something original, primary, or basic

b

: of, relating to, or being the induced current or its circuit in an induction coil or transformer

secondary voltage

c

: characterized by or resulting from the substitution of two atoms or groups in a molecule

a secondary salt

especially : being, characterized by, or attached to a carbon atom having bonds to two other carbon atoms

d(1)

: not first in order of occurrence or development

(2)

: dependent or consequent on another disease or condition

secondary hypertension

(3)

: produced by activity of formative tissue and especially cambium other than that at a growing point

secondary growth

secondary phloem

3

a

: of, relating to, or being the second order or stage in a series

b

: of, relating to, or being the second segment of the wing of a bird or the quills of this segment

c

: of or relating to a secondary school

secondary education

secondarily

ˌse-kən-ˈder-ə-lē 

adverb

secondariness

ˈse-kən-ˌder-ē-nəs 

noun

secondary

2 of 2

noun

plural secondaries

1

: one occupying a subordinate or auxiliary position rather than that of a principal

2

: a defensive football backfield

3

: the coil through which the secondary current passes in an induction coil or transformer

called also secondary coil

4

: any of the quill feathers of the forearm of a bird see wing illustration

Synonyms

Adjective

• derivative
• secondhand

Examples of secondary in a Sentence

Adjective

Winning is secondary—we play for the fun of the sport.

There are some secondary issues which must be taken into account as well.

I want a car that's reliable; the color is of secondary importance.

The secondary roads are indicated on the map with a green line.

Better gas mileage is a secondary benefit of reduced speed limits.

Noun

The team has a strong secondary.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Everything else has to be secondary. 704-358-5136 Sports columnist Scott Fowler has written for The Charlotte Observer since 1994. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2024

There was a swagger, too, about USC’s secondary, one that felt entirely foreign from its last two frustrating seasons. —Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024

Including the secondary, here’s what to know and watch for during Saturday’s game at the Coliseum. —Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 19 Apr. 2024

That message feels a bit muddled in this revival only because the plot is secondary to the show-stopping musical numbers. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 18 Apr. 2024

The Canes continued the pursuit of several players in the transfer portal on Wednesday, in an effort to augment their roster at running back, defensive line, linebacker and the secondary. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024

But Clark writes about the men and women who mentored her in the eventual rise to the highest levels of aviation, including a secondary gig as an airshow performer—one of the most challenging and dangerous jobs in aviation. —Julie Destefano, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024

Sharon Van Etten, Perfume Genius, and Phoebe Bridgers paid tribute Low in secondary quotes throughout the interview. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 11 Apr. 2024

According to Ticketmaster, about 5% of the 2.4 million tickets sold for the first leg of the tour were sold or posted for resale on the secondary market — about 120,000 tickets. —Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024

Noun

Former secondaries coach Nick Sorensen is now the man in the charge. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024

Senior defensive back Dean Clark (67 tackles, 2 INTs) leads an experienced secondary that also includes seniors Morice Norris Jr., who has 3 1/2 sacks and Carlton Johnson, who has a team-high four interceptions. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Nov. 2023

Shares of the company have been trading on the secondary market at a valuation of approximately $4.8 billion, according to both Rainmaker and another secondaries brokerage Forge Global. —Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024

Bringing him back on an inexpensive deal would help keep together what was one of the best secondaries in the league. 8. —Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2024

With Mahomes and the offense no longer lighting up opposing secondaries like in the past, the pressure was on Spagnuolo's defense. —Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024

That production, along with Julian Blackmon's breakout year at strong safety, helped the Colts survive one of the youngest secondaries in the league to finish 9-8 and within a few plays of the playoffs. —The Indianapolis Star, 9 Jan. 2024

The customer, the CEO of Linear, accused Carta of using his startup’s confidential data without his approval to build out Carta’s own order book for its secondaries market platform. —Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2024

Smith has been an afterthought in this offense of late with A.J. Brown dominating targets and opposing secondaries. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing secondary

• secondary care
• secondary cell
• secondary color
• secondary emission
• secondary radiation
• secondary road
• secondary root
• secondary school
• secondary sex characteristic
• secondary source
• secondary syphilis

Kids Definition

secondary

1 of 2 adjective

sec·​ond·​ary ˈsek-ən-ˌder-ē 

1

a

: of second rank, importance, or value

secondary considerations

b

: of, relating to, or being the second strongest of the three or four levels of stress

the last syllable of "refrigerate" has secondary stress

2

a

: coming from something original or basic

b

: of, relating to, or being the current created by a change in the primary current or the circuit of the created current in an induction coil or transformer

a secondary coil

secondary voltage

3

a

: of, relating to, or being a second rank or grade in a series

b

: of or relating to a secondary school

secondarily

ˌsek-ən-ˈder-ə-lē

adverb

secondary

2 of 2 noun

plural secondaries

1

: the defensive football players who line up behind the line of scrimmage

2

: any of the quill feathers attached to the ulna of the wing of a bird

3

: the coil through which the secondary current passes in an induction coil or transformer

called also secondary coil

Medical Definition

secondary

adjective

sec·​ond·​ary ˈsek-ən-ˌder-ē 

1

: not first in order of occurrence or development: as

a

: dependent or consequent on another disease

secondary diabetes

Bright's disease is often secondary to scarlet fever

b

: occurring or being in the second stage

secondary symptoms of syphilis

c

: occurring some time after the original injury

a secondary hemorrhage

2

: characterized by or resulting from the substitution of two atoms or groups in a molecule

a secondary salt

especially : being, characterized by, or attached to a carbon atom having bonds to two other carbon atoms

3

: relating to or being the three-dimensional coiling of the polypeptide chain of a protein especially in the form of an alpha-helix compare primary entry 1 sense 4, tertiary entry 2 sense 2c

secondarily

ˌsek-ən-ˈder-ə-lē 

adverb

Legal Definition

secondary

adjective

sec·​ond·​ary ˈse-kən-ˌder-ē 

1

: of second rank, status, importance, or value

2

: derived from something original or primary

3

: of, relating to, or being the second order or stage in a series

secondarily

ˌse-kən-ˈder-ə-lē 

adverb

secondariness

ˈse-kən-ˌder-ē-nəs 

noun