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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-rate The scandal led to a divorce, followed by Fred’s relocation to a second-rate college on the West Coast—everything had been predictable, stale like last week’s bread. Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025 The father, Buddy Smart (Bryan Cranston), is the clan’s second-rate crackpot visionary, a cockeyed optimist who dresses in fuddy-duddy jackets and never knows where the next paycheck is coming from. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 June 2025 Ultimately, they might be forced to accept a system that codifies them as second-rate. Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 4 June 2025 High-quality data have failed to validate those questions, so second-rate research has often been used to make the case against mifepristone. Keren Landman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-rate
Adjective
  • The transparency mode is decent and keeps your surroundings sounding natural.
    Prakhar Khanna, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • When a president wants to do a decent job — at the least, respecting democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law — the magnet produces an administration of people who respect our institutions of self-government.
    Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • Instead of allowing senior citizens and disabled first-responders choose the plan that was right for them — and the vast majority have chosen traditional Medicare — de Blasio forced every one of them into an inferior Medicare Advantage plan run by a for-profit insurance company.
    Marianne Pizzitola, New York Daily News, 14 July 2025
  • The bolder value vision is in using new AI capabilities to solve long-standing inefficiencies or problems that may have been targeted before, albeit with inferior technology.
    Beena Ammanath, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • Prospect Capital is now the cheapest BDC on the market, trading at just 46% of NAV.
    Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
  • For years, the equation seemed simple: look for the cheapest fare, even if the trip was mediocre.
    Wilson Santiago Burgos, USA Today, 20 July 2025
Adjective
  • However, the space program has been restricted so far to a mediocre elite.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 15 July 2025
  • This seems like a tall order for a mediocre team with below-average pitching.
    Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • Besides the home advantage, Pia Sundhage’s side had a minor edge on goal difference, which meant a draw would be enough for them.
    Neel Shelat, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • Right now, a handful of attorneys are exploiting our legal system, filing thousands of cookie-cutter lawsuits against businesses for minor technical violations.
    Aaron Hichman, Mercury News, 12 July 2025
Adjective
  • This last group is those with still poor (<50) RS Ratings, but strong (>80) 3-month RS Ratings. a.
    Randy Watts, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
  • Some other discounts may seem impressive on the surface, but have consistently poor ratings or only a few sizes in stock.
    Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • The other specs are perfectly satisfactory for a model at this price.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 9 July 2025
  • Synan’s attorney declined to comment on a similar question, as well as a question about whether the resignation is a satisfactory outcome for the police chief.
    Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • Grab lunch at Red Hills Market or Merenda Italian Deli (both make a mean sandwich) before popping into Sokol Blosser or Durant Vineyards, ending in Dayton with dinner at Loam and overnighting in a retro Airstream at The Vintages campground.
    Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2025
  • Or, consider elevator and escalator installers and repairers, who earned a mean annual wage of $106,580.
    Robert Farrington, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-rate. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.

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