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
European soccer elitists turn up their noses at the Europa League because of its second-rate status.
—
Alex Tabet, NBC news, 20 May 2025
But even as China emerged as a major car manufacturer, its homegrown brands were still seen as second-rate.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
His cigars weren’t as nasty as his habit of chasing bad money with worse—high living and foolish investments, with second-rate writing meant to plug the gap.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Sometime in the late 18th century, though, offal started suffering from an image problem, viewed by some people to be an affordable but second-rate food.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Alex Tabet, NBC news, 20 May 2025
But even as China emerged as a major car manufacturer, its homegrown brands were still seen as second-rate.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
His cigars weren’t as nasty as his habit of chasing bad money with worse—high living and foolish investments, with second-rate writing meant to plug the gap.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Sometime in the late 18th century, though, offal started suffering from an image problem, viewed by some people to be an affordable but second-rate food.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-rate
Adjective
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Building a high-functioning AI agent isn’t cheap: from $5,000 at the low end to upwards of $20,000 just to get something decent off the ground.—
Brando Murphy,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Fields had a decent season with the Steelers, going 4-2 before he was replaced by Russell Wilson.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Told that Indigenous people were evolutionarily inferior to white Europeans and Americans, visitors accepted the idea that colonialist progress would soon condemn these groups to extinction.—
Shoshi Parks,
Smithsonian Magazine,
20 June 2025
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The Pacers are just way more inferior and the Thunder got stagnant all of a sudden.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Bellini noted that hacking operations are much cheaper than bullets, planes or nuclear arms -- what defense analysts call kinetic warfare.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 June 2025
-
These Golden Hour Savings deals bring these loafers’ price tag down to as low as $52, which is much cheaper than most leather (or vegan leather) loafers.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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While the pressure will be on for Switzerland to improve their mediocre tournament record, there is only one way to make diamonds (hint: starts with p and ends in ressure).—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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Harrison, the key player for the Red Sox insofar as immediate return, has been a mediocre (4.48 ERA in 35 starts) mid-rotation starter for the Giants.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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Green Day’s summer European run has not been without a few minor hiccups.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
1 July 2025
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Consumer prices were absolutely stable on average from 1800 to 1913, dispensing with minor yearly variation, and there was no income tax.—
Brian Domitrovic,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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The key drivers are BGE’s soaring spending and profits and poor management by PJM Interconnection, the private entity that operates our electric grid.—
Emily Scarr,
Baltimore Sun,
29 June 2025
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Despite having a poor 2024 season that saw the Pirates remove Bednar from the closer role, the right-hander is back to his dominant form.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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To begin with, bombardment is unlikely to lead to a satisfactory outcome.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
21 June 2025
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At highway cruising speed, the SUV is satisfactory.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Yosemite Hospitality's overall rating is mean to identify the areas needed for improvement, and NPS did not state if the contract would be terminated.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
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Similarly, the mean costs associated with traveling to access care rose from $179 pre-ban to $372 post-ban.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-rate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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