SECOND FIDDLE Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

second fiddle

noun

Definition of second fiddle

as in second

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of second fiddle My connoisseurship plays second fiddle to my status as a member of the clan. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 2 June 2026 The religion of college football is strong in the South, and everything else just plays second fiddle. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026 Bicycle tail lights have a way of playing second fiddle to their brighter, more interesting headlight siblings. — Ben Coxworth may 15, New Atlas, 15 May 2026 Colleen Camp, on the other hand, demonstrates a flair for light comedy as an alluring French maid, though the role too often requires her to play second fiddle to her own enhanced bosom. — Kirk Ellis, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for second fiddle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for second fiddle

Noun

In tests by cybersecurity firm McAfee, a three-second clip was enough to generate a clone with an 85% match to the original speaker.

— Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Hischier scored off a rebound on a power play with 41 seconds left in the period.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of second

Noun

In 2019 he was appointed deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
The legal questions are also different from those raised by earlier smart speakers and voice assistants.

— MacKenzie Sigalos,Annie Palmer, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of assistant

Noun

Get assistance with heating bills The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps qualified households with one-time financial assistance for heating and electricity bills, as well as emergency aid to prevent shut-offs.

— Dan Avery, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
After a detailed briefing with an ATI staff member, I was kitted out with a folder packed with maps, a Namibian cell phone pre-programmed with key contacts, and a first-aid kit.

— Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of aid

Noun

The most recent assassination was that of Juan Antonio López, a municipal councilman and the local Catholic bishop’s aide.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
In the race to replace City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield in the west San Fernando Valley, businessman Tim Gaspar reported bringing in nearly $584,000 during the runoff campaign, compared with about $287,000 for legislative aide Barri Worth Girvan.

— Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of aide

Noun

Tracy Rieff is stepping down from his role of deputy fire chief after 36 years of volunteering with the Farmington Fire Department.

— Lynn Kutter, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
But while critics on the Israeli right railed against the deal, Netanyahu’s deputies worked behind the scenes to preserve it, according to correspondence obtained by TIME.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of deputy

Noun

But that hasn’t stopped out-of-state reenactors from worrying their muskets will be confiscated at the George Washington Bridge, says Justin Costantino, adjutant of the Long Island Companies of the 3rd New York Regiment.

— Allen G. Breed, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
In the months since fellow senior Legion executives suspended Abrahamson without pay from his statewide adjutant job in April, a number of the roughly 8,000 members in Idaho have called for a change in leadership.

— Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 13 July 2024

Definition of adjutant

Noun

Schnurr came to Cincinnati in 2008 as coadjutor archbishop and took over as archbishop about a year later, upon the retirement of former Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk.

— Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
By 1997, he was named coadjutor archbishop of Buenos Aires, assuming full leadership of the archdiocese the following year.

— Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025

Definition of coadjutor

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seconded

second fiddle

second fiddles

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Style

“Second fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second%20fiddle. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of second fiddle

noun

Example Sentences

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