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
The Hundred feels like a second-rate cartoon animation in comparison.
—
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-rate
Adjective
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The University of Florida product made a decent impact his rookie season, appearing in 12 games and rushing 38 times for 161 yards and a touchdown.—
Noah Camras,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Meanwhile, food aboard the International Space Station and the Tiangong leaves much to be desired, with the menus reading like something more suited to iron rations for a Round Britain yacht race than a decent meal.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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That's one child experiencing death by a thousand cuts with these inferior sequels.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
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But grit and resolve can only take a team so far when its active roster is inferior to many of its opponents, and that is the situation the red and gold currently face.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Chinese retailer, known for its range of cheap ultra-fast-fashion clothing and criticisms of its labor and environmental practices, is nestled on the sixth floor of a more than century-old building in Paris, a city famous for high-end fashion and a recent green push.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
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The other side of this has been the money in the industry’s pivot first to cheaper talk shows, which don’t innovate enough to merit much critique, and now to a second pivot to turn those interview shows into video series, which makes podcasts more friendly on TikTok and Instagram and YouTube.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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How mediocre competitively balanced is the East right now?—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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And an example could have been made with one of the Dolphins’ mediocre starters.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This was a minor bit of incomprehension on my part.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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He is being charged in juvenile court with evidence tampering and unlawful gun possession by a minor.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Ministry of Environment blamed this year’s surge on a poor acorn harvest – which drove a similar spate of attacks in 2023.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Rather, the slow start (by Ovechkin’s standards) to this season seemed due more to poor puck luck.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Overall, the sound quality is comparable to that of a basic Bluetooth speaker—more than satisfactory for an AIO PC.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
15 Oct. 2025
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According to a poll conducted by the company, eight out of 10 users were happy with the experience, while another one in five described it as satisfactory.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Protecting her peace proved more difficult, however, when the Queen of Rap began firing off increasingly mean-spirited posts about her on X this past summer.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
6 Nov. 2025
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And people were just saying very mean things about me.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-rate. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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