second fiddle

noun

Definition of second fiddlenext
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
  1. second
  2. assistant
  3. aid
  4. aide
  5. deputy
  6. adjutant
  7. coadjutor
Noun
  • Peggy Tanous isn’t there because she was inexplicably invited to RHUGT instead, and Peggy Sulahian isn’t there because Alex Baskin lost her number the second that season ended.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The 30-second advertisement makes three specific claims about Vang’s attendance record at three local government boards in the last two years.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of second
Noun
  • Harp, 35, has been Donald Trump‘s executive assistant since his first day back in office, and is often by his side.
    — William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2026
  • There's also an AI voice assistant for activating in-car features, and a mobile app for remote air conditioning management, charging status monitoring, and automatic parking.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of assistant
Noun
  • Officers rendered aid until emergency medical personnel arrived.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
  • South Korea has sent humanitarian aid and other support to Ukraine but has refrained from sending weapons, in line with its policy of not supplying arms to countries actively engaged in conflict.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of aid
Noun
  • But this being the height of the Cold War, the aide points out that delivering on his request may be easier said than done.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Federal authorities on Thursday charged a Boston-area man with harassing Katie Miller, the conservative podcaster and wife of senior White House aide Stephen Miller, in a case that sparked a heated debate among prosecutors and within the FBI.
    — Jeremy Roebuck, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of aide
Noun
  • The Senate Armed Services Committee also heard closed testimony from Hegseth’s top deputies, including Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, deputy chairwoman of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, requested to be relieved of her duties on Saturday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 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

Browse Nearby Words

seconded
second fiddle
second fiddles
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Second fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second%20fiddle. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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