second fiddle

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 But the weird goat-guy in The Nun II just plays second fiddle to the titular Nun. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025 The guy can command a screen without having to play second fiddle to an I.P. or prosthetics or a far more famous costar. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025 Viv never felt like a second fiddle, not at all. Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 19 Aug. 2025 Dignity has always played second fiddle to having fun. Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 15 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for second fiddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second fiddle
Noun
  • The second would put the party’s weight behind the more time-intensive, partisan pursuit of bigger health care changes.
    Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 12 Nov. 2025
  • But the evening wasn’t without late-game drama, as the Wildcats choked away an early 18-point lead as the 49ers cut the margin down to two with less than 30 seconds to play.
    Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 12 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Freshman Rashad McCants scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting for the Tar Heels, who were coached in the Preseason NIT semifinal by former Jayhawk assistant Matt Doherty.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The assistant can handle more complex requests too.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Not only do these packing cubes from BAGSMART aid in organization, but the compression technology works wonders to cut down on bulk.
    Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Good Samaritans called 911 and aid was given to Jaramillo before he was taken to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
    Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • At one event, Loomer, with her hidden camera, filmed Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide, talking about Clinton’s commitment to admitting refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war.
    Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
  • After Reagan’s assassination attempt, O’Neill was one of the first people to visit the wounded president in the hospital, according to former Reagan aide Max Friedersdorf.
    Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The impact of the storm was worsened by clogged waterways in an already flood-prone area, and an apparent lack of understanding of early warnings, Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator for the Philippines Office of Civil Defense told local media.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Darbin Wofford, deputy director of health care for the centrist Democratic group Third Way, said even if there’s an agreement that reopens the government without a subsidy extension, Republicans already own the consequences.
    Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • At the time, there were an estimated 450 greater adjutant storks left in the region.
    Kyla Mandel, TIME, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Since 2019, when Woodward took over as the Gooding adjutant, that totals more than $23,000, according to an accounting obtained by the Statesman from the county clerk through a public records request.
    Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 13 July 2024
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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Second fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second%20fiddle. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!