second-class

adjective

ˈse-kən(d)-ˈklas How to pronounce second-class (audio)
Definition of second-classnext
1
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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 Under this new system, women are made second-class citizens meant to serve men, with some, like Elisabeth Moss' June, forced to bear the children of the ruling class. — Tanya Melendez, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026 Other personnel issues include changing the number of first-class patrol officers from 29 to 32 and the number of second-class patrol officers from six to two. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026 The question is whether companies can use the best agents against their own data, with fair economics, full auditability and equivalent access, without paying twice or accepting second-class performance. — Ankit Jain, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026 The Catholic Church reserves the priesthood for men, and women have long complained of a second-class status despite carrying out the lion’s share of the church’s work running schools, hospitals and passing the faith onto younger generations. — Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for second-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-class
  1. inferior
  2. decent
  3. minor
  4. ordinary
  5. mean
  6. satisfactory
  7. medium
  8. mediocre
Adjective
  • Over the last 15 years, employees have increasingly sued large employers over unnecessarily high fees or inferior investment options.
    — Paul Kiel, ProPublica, 8 July 2026
  • The results have invariably been uglier, longer, inferior versions of films people already know and love, which provide a cheap rush of nostalgia but don’t offer any surprises or challenges.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026
Definition of inferior
Adjective
  • This camper features a triangle glass wall on the front for a clear view of your stunning surroundings and plenty of natural light, but still a decent amount of privacy.
    — Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026
  • Families pool money to pay the provider a decent hourly wage.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
Definition of decent
Adjective
  • Three other people in the vehicle, including a 6-month-old, had minor injuries, the report said.
    — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
  • The adult and child had minor to moderate injuries and were taken to the hospital, the fire department said.
    — Jose Fabian, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Definition of minor
Adjective
  • This impressive dinner will make an ordinary Wednesday night feel like a special occasion.
    — Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 8 July 2026
  • Asked why, Newsom told The Times his party had become out of touch with ordinary Americans.
    — Jenny Jarvie Follow, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of ordinary
Adjective
  • All this whining about online hate and fans being mean and blah, blah, blah.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
  • This doesn’t relate to AI replacing jobs, but rather, an increase in the number of enterprise launches accomplished in a leaner-and-meaner fashion than ever before.
    — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of mean
Adjective
  • Kelley said the company believed the existing easement was satisfactory and wasn’t told otherwise until after investing years of work on he project.
    — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2026
  • For writing, editing, spreadsheets, email, and web browsing, performance proved entirely satisfactory.
    — Sascha Brodsky, PC Magazine, 21 June 2026
Definition of satisfactory
Adjective
  • Internal guidelines provided to the court as part of the lawsuit show that officers are limited in storing items that do not fit in a 55-gallon bag — 9 gallons less than a medium-size municipal garbage bin in Sacramento.
    — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026
  • Cover, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
Definition of medium
Adjective
  • Sweden, especially, seemed content to play conservatively, which forced France to take mediocre shots in the early going.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
  • The author's experience, where mediocre tires led to a collision, highlights that tires are the vehicle's only road contact, directly impacting safety and performance.
    — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of mediocre

Browse Nearby Words

second childhood
second-class
seconded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Second-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-class. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All