SECOND-CLASS Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

second-class

adjective

ˈse-kən(d)-ˈklas

Definition of second-class

as in inferior

of little or less value or merit a playwright who produced only second-class work when he turned his hand to poetry

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in decent

of average to below average quality it's only a second-class restaurant and not worth the high prices

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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-class Porky Pig and Daffy Duck aren’t celebrities but second-class citizens forced to order their shoddy goods from Acme, a monopoly that ships everything in oddly familiar blue and brown boxes. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 In many Muslim nations, women are treated as second-class citizens. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026 Harari and many proponents of the ethical view of affective sentientism want suffering to be the defining criterion that protects conscious beings from becoming second-class citizens to intelligent machines. — Andréa Morris, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 The date stood out to Browning, who’d lost thousands in anticipated shillings when 584 steerage and 253 second-class passengers chose drowning in a Canadian river over registering at one of his boarding houses near the port of Liverpool. — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for second-class

Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-class

Adjective

The idea is to sound like an inferior buck in the brush, one that is roaming around a mature deer’s space and getting on his nerves.

— Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026
Only 272 yards, at home, against a UCLA team that unquestionably has inferior talent?

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of inferior

Adjective

Motorists were able to get around alright within individual cities and towns, but there was no decent network connecting them.

— Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
The defense is elite, the team has a decent schedule, and the offense is ranked 12th in the NFL in yards per game.

— David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of decent

Adjective

There were other, more minor, signs that suggested the Republican senator might be in trouble.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2026
In the case of a minor stroke, which is often referred to as a transient ischemic attack or a warning stroke, the person doesn’t suffer lasting effects.

— Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of minor

Adjective

When a family is one ordinary bill from the edge, its backup plan is sleeping in the car.

— Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
The Ohio State University In ordinary air, oxygen molecules settle onto the sensor surfaces and draw electrons away from the material, increasing its electrical resistance.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of ordinary

Adjective

Worst of all are those who claim to be super Christian and then embrace public servants who are just plain mean, carrying themselves like adolescent schoolyard bullies without compunction.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026
Pain at the pump In several of the states with close Senate races, voters face gas prices that have climbed higher, and more sharply, than the mean nationwide prices over the same period.

— Alexandra Meier, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of mean

Adjective

Why not, then, return to 2016 spending amounts which seemed satisfactory at the time?

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Harriot quickly found a convenient formula for how many were arranged in a square pyramid based on the number in the bottom row and was able to present Raleigh with a satisfactory solution.

— Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of satisfactory

Adjective

Willowgrove would include 197 low-density homes, 515 medium-density units and 538 high-density units, such as apartments and condominiums.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
To address these challenge, Envision came up with a new system that can convert electricity directly from a 10-kilovolt (kV) medium-voltage input to an 800-volt DC power system.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of medium

Adjective

They were blown out 31-3 by Ole Miss, lost to what's clearly a mediocre Mississippi State team, though at least that was with Kamario Taylor, but their big win over Florida now looks much less impressive considering the Gators' collapse.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
The best, the least mediocre, unfortunately, is Tadao Ando, the better of whose work derives from Kahn, the plain modular rectangles made of concrete framed by verticals and, less clear even in Kahn, the geometric cuts and sections.

— Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of mediocre

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second childhood

second-class

seconded

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Style

“Second-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-class. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of second-class

adjective

Example Sentences

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