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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of second-rate
Moreno said Bad Bunny is a second-rate performer and said his performing at the Super Bowl is a partisan choice.
—
Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2025
The freshman quarterback has faced second-rate competition thus far and has daunting matchups next month.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2025
Occasionally held back by a very mid-'00s aesthetic and stylistic choices that come across second-rate David Lynch, No Smoking is nonetheless an effectively paranoid adaptation of King for another culture.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The Hundred feels like a second-rate cartoon animation in comparison.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2025
The freshman quarterback has faced second-rate competition thus far and has daunting matchups next month.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2025
Occasionally held back by a very mid-'00s aesthetic and stylistic choices that come across second-rate David Lynch, No Smoking is nonetheless an effectively paranoid adaptation of King for another culture.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The Hundred feels like a second-rate cartoon animation in comparison.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-rate
Adjective
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The money could also help towards landing Alvarez, but alternatively perhaps acquire a decent full back available at a cut rate considering Joao Cancelo is only in Catalonia on loan too.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The Huskies have decent depth at the position in three-star incoming freshman Bo Polston, who was the first of several players to flip his commitment from Toledo, and Tucker McDonald, who pulled his name from the portal to stay in Storrs for his redshirt junior season.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This strategy is not aimed at driving subscribers towards an inferior product.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
On Saturday, his view was far inferior, but far more joyous.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Currently, the cheapest EVs in Europe sell for about twice that.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
There has been a gradual decline in popularity of pricier, wooden furniture over years as manufacturers found cheaper alternatives to make tables, dressers, bed frames, desks, and more.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And what this array of talents had gotten them was a shitty job in a town outside Munich in the second division of a mediocre German league.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
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The final conclusion on the draftees and free agents is likely similar to the final conclusion on each these seasons — mediocre-ish.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This includes refusing to follow crew instructions about seating assignments, escalating complaints with nearby passengers—such as disputes over arm rests, seat kicking, or reclining—or otherwise turning a minor annoyance into a confrontation.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
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Six other people sustained minor injuries in the collision.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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According to Jabra’s research, 99% of knowledge workers say poor audio quality impacts their online meetings and call quality.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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While the pandemic hit everyone all at once, the recovery from that jolt has taken place on two diverging tracks, with the well-off getting wealthier and the poor getting poorer.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Air quality is satisfactory and air pollution poses little or no risk.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
15 Jan. 2026
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And yet no analytical framework ever yields a fully satisfactory result.—
Amir Ahmadi Arian,
The Dial,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In all plots, black circles represent the mean value of each environmental variables at each site, and the lines the SD.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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The famed Italian designer Valentino, who died earlier this week, at the age of ninety-three, was always ready with a quippy, often quite mean, observation.—
Erin Neil,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-rate. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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