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
-
Their rubber outsole has decent traction to get me there and back (way better than flip flops), and the interior synthetic dries quickly.—
Lisa Jhung,
Outside,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Whether for noshing in their natural, juicy and delicious form, or for turning into any number of tasty dishes—applesauce, apple pie, apple butter, and so many more—apples are a relatively inexpensive fruit that typically have a decent shelf life and convenience factor that’s hard to beat.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
He was made to feel inferior because of his difficulties.—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Sloppy, hasty automation, which replaces workers with inferior machines, is everyone’s loss.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike rivals giving subscribers a choice of ad-free plans or cheaper tiers with ads, Amazon defaulted to ads for all subscribers to Prime, allowing an opt-out for an extra premium.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Rivian has been teasing the R2 for a while now, dangling the promise of a smaller, cheaper, more attainable version of its beloved R1S in front of adventure-hungry buyers who couldn’t quite stretch to the $77,000-plus sticker of its halo SUV.—
Kevin Sintumuang,
Outside,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The mediocre Queen biopic remains one of the most head-scratching best picture nominees in recent memory.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Tua’s glory years, the 2022-25 seasons, added up to a mediocre 35-35 record, including an 0-2 mark in the playoffs as Tua and his cohorts were constantly outplayed and outcoached in games against playoff-caliber teams.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The woman had minor injuries and was treated at the scene, police said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Leigh Wambsganss, the Republican candidate and a Mercy Culture ally, had become a minor MAGA celebrity, owing to her role in facilitating a far-right takeover of the area’s school boards.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
City officials say the long-term leases make buying Liberty Station a poor investment for any potential buyer other than Seligman.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
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Further, according to the paper, when supply tightens, richer nations outbid poorer ones for scarce shipments, exacerbating challenges for vulnerable economies.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
While Adam Poole facially resembles Scheider, he is only allowed to do so much and does so in a satisfactory way.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
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The regulations allow the stewards to take other circumstances, like satisfactory lap times, into consideration.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For compact surfaces like spheres, researchers showed that the metric and mean curvature uniquely fix the surface.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Mar. 2026
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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,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-rate. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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