1
as in decent
of average to below average quality
a second-rate song from a songwriter who has done much better
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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-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
-
And thanks to a television show that entered the zeitgeist in 2006, the arts started to pay a decent wage.—
Sarah Hepola,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Rear passengers look to be getting decent space (unlike its predecessor).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The complaint alleges NeuralHash is a far inferior tool to PhotoDNA.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
How about make a product that costs so much that these customers feel compelled make their own inferior chip or join forces with second-place player AMD.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
What really matters is if the tech can be scaled, is energy-dense enough to complete, and can prove cheap at an industrial scale.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Although this pencil is the cheapest of the bunch, the formula lasts and lasts.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Fittingly, the song’s thumping beat is heard twice, real loud, in Rosebush Pruning, Karim Aїnouz’s high-gloss, pitch-dark satire about an American family described by one of its scions as mediocre, vapid egotists, who will never have to work thanks to a large inheritance.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The seltzer leavens it, enlivens it, puts room between the flavors where the room is needed most, and turns a derivative and mediocre drink into a fascinating and bizarre one.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
He was convicted eight years earlier of solicitation of prostitution involving a minor.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The mountains are expected to see minor snowfall going into next week for areas with elevation above 3,000 feet.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
Updated February 20,
Sacbee.com,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Policymakers globally are increasingly worried that the unequal adoption of AI risks widening income and development gaps between rich and poor countries.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In November, Jesse Jackon was hospitalized again after suffering a fall while protesting poor campus living conditions with students at Howard University.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But could not get a satisfactory picture from all this information.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The move also apparently addresses a growing frustration among travelers that in-flight dining has been less than satisfactory in recent years.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
To me, being mean to each other was not supposed to be part of it.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
-
McDonald's was a mean one last year, only bringing its Grinch meal to Canada for the 2024 holidays.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-rate. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
