1
as in decent
of average to below average quality
a second-rate song from a songwriter who has done much better
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inferior
of little or less value or merit
a second-rate company that was never considered among the top manufacturers of televisions
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cheap
of low quality
second-rate goods specifically manufactured for the low end of the market
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of second-rate
After years of being considered second-rate properties, both are back on the upswing thanks to the 2022 Hulu hit Prey and last year’s Alien: Romulus.
—
Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2025
Florence Pugh leads a new ragtag group of second-rate heroes that includes David Harbour’s Red Guardian and Wyatt Russell’s John Walker.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 11 July 2025
His appearance in Meghan’s [‘Baby Mama Dance’] video looked so second-rate.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 8 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2025
Florence Pugh leads a new ragtag group of second-rate heroes that includes David Harbour’s Red Guardian and Wyatt Russell’s John Walker.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 11 July 2025
His appearance in Meghan’s [‘Baby Mama Dance’] video looked so second-rate.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 8 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-rate
Adjective
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But 20 goals is a decent start.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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Getting a decent price has been a longstanding issue for farmers who are increasingly turning to crops like corn and sugarcane that are more lucrative and less labor-intensive.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Truth is, Cora knows how to beat the Yankees with inferior players, a fact that leaves the top wild-card seed on the doorstep of the unthinkable.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Intel’s chip factories are considered inferior to TSMCs.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This World Cup wasn’t going to be cheap to attend, but these memories for life cost so much that swathes of people can’t even toy with the idea.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Utility executives and analysts have said clean energy projects are crucial to help power new data centers and factories, because they can be built quickly and produce electricity that is relatively cheap.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The legendary director of Alien, Gladiator and Blade Runner says films today are so hopelessly mediocre he’s taken to rewatching some of his old movies instead.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Oct. 2025
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The event received lackluster reviews, even receiving a mediocre grade from an ESPN writer.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Russell’s crash in 2023 showed that a minor mistake can wipe you off the podium.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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In susceptible people, the immune system reacts too strongly to minor exposures, creating chronic inflammation.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Similar protests occurred in Brazil over steep living costs and poor healthcare and education ahead of the country hosting the 2014 World Cup tournament.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
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Over time, dysfunctional breathing reinforces poor posture and scapular instability.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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How many grafts does each zone need to achieve a satisfactory outcome for the eye?—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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If someone asks if arrangements are satisfactory?—
Jessica Kozuka,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Even its most mean-spirited plotline, in which a married couple assemble a fake theater production to humiliate their ex-neighbor whose noisiness prompted them to move, is presented as more of a gentle exercise in silliness than anything truly vindictive.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
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Married Zack Goytowski and Bliss Poureetezadi had one of the stranger journeys on Love Is Blind, mainly because Zack initially broke up with Bliss in favor of Irina Solomonova, who proved herself to be perhaps the meanest contestant in the show's history.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-rate. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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