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

The first attack, officials said, targeted the airport's facilities, while the second aimed at an aircraft belonging to Saudi carrier Saudia.

— Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
If the first season is about solitude, the second is about the end of love — what happens when two people sleep separately, still care for one another, but are no longer in love.

— Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of second

Noun

Kentucky Boy was conceived of by Old Forester assistant master distiller Caleb Trigo and Woodford Reserve master distiller Elizabeth McCall as a tribute to Morris for his 50th anniversary with Brown-Forman.

— Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2026
Greengart pointed to the Rabbit r1 personal assistant, which lacked distinct use cases from the smartphone and faced technical and hardware issues.

— Samantha Subin, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of assistant

Noun

Mitchell-Namdar said Pink Aid’s mission is to provide emergency aid assistance to those struggling during treatment, whether that means paying an electric bill, rent, offering wigs or lymphedema sleeves.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
Cress agreed with Sacramento County prosecutors, who argued Kaur did not get out of her sport utility vehicle to check on the unconscious Lopez after striking his motorcycle or attempt to render aid.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of aid

Noun

Ossoff went a step further, accusing Collins himself of amplifying hateful content and saying that his former congressional aide had intervened on behalf of a Holocaust denier.

— AJC.com, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Tinubu’s aides have long presented the 1993 case as a closed civil matter.

— Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of aide

Noun

Yellow smoke and pyrotechnics filled Folsom’s Dan Russell Rodeo Arena as deputies made their entrance, showing off armored vehicles and tactical gear while helicopters flew in formation overhead.

— Haley Parsley October 4, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2026
Last year, deputies were called to the Cheeca Lodge & Spa after a guest spotted nearly $900 in hotel splurges that had been charged to her room without her knowledge or consent, according to the sheriff’s office.

— Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 4 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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“Second fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second%20fiddle. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of second fiddle

noun

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