1
as in derivative
taken or created from something original or basic
history textbooks are secondary sources for historical information and do not represent original research
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minor
of little or less value or merit
we need to focus on getting the groceries bought and the rent paid—everything else is secondary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dependent
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of secondary
Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
He is expected to rejoin a secondary that is in dire need of a boost after giving up 450 passing yards in Week 2 to Giants quarterback Russell Wilson and 298 passing yards to Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on Sunday.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2025
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
The same can work in Thailand alongside the threat of secondary sanctions on private Thai financial institutions.
—Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secondary
Adjective
What can no longer be ignored, however, is the loss of roughly a dozen years of experience in the secondary.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
He is expected to rejoin a secondary that is in dire need of a boost after giving up 450 passing yards in Week 2 to Giants quarterback Russell Wilson and 298 passing yards to Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on Sunday.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
OpenAI is in the middle of a secondary share sale that could value the company at $500 billion, almost double its valuation of $260 billion at the start of the year.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
The same can work in Thailand alongside the threat of secondary sanctions on private Thai financial institutions.
—Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secondary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secondary
Adjective
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Pending review of the documents, the two groups could file a derivative lawsuit, which allows shareholders to act on behalf of a company and sue the corporation’s own directors and officers, as well as other third parties who may have harmed the company.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
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Revise Visa Quotas Exclude derivative family members from the annual cap so that more principal investors can qualify—boosting capital injection without exceeding visa limits.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Russell’s crash in 2023 showed that a minor mistake can wipe you off the podium.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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In susceptible people, the immune system reacts too strongly to minor exposures, creating chronic inflammation.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) issues monthly benefits to more than 70 million people nationwide, a group that includes retirees, disabled workers, and the dependents of deceased wage earners.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Sep. 2025
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Natalia’s story grabbed the attention of the public in 2019 when Indiana prosecutors leveled charges against the Barnetts for allegedly neglecting a dependent.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Truth is, Cora knows how to beat the Yankees with inferior players, a fact that leaves the top wild-card seed on the doorstep of the unthinkable.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Intel’s chip factories are considered inferior to TSMCs.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The third-term sheriff is accused of repeatedly harassing his female subordinates and threatening his chief deputy to keep it quiet.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Oct. 2025
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For instance, Gilbert was into extreme weather, Kelly said, and had subordinates brief him on terms such as bombogenesis.—
Stefan Fatsis,
The Atlantic,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Several quarterbacks highly rated by scouts and analysts over the summer have stumbled out of the blocks — Texas junior Arch Manning, Clemson senior Cade Klubnik and, to a degree, Penn State senior Drew Allar.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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The junior allowed just two runs across 35 total innings in the postseason.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Even its most mean-spirited plotline, in which a married couple assemble a fake theater production to humiliate their ex-neighbor whose noisiness prompted them to move, is presented as more of a gentle exercise in silliness than anything truly vindictive.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
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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,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The lenient deal has since been the subject of widespread scrutiny and conspiracy theories—along with many other aspects of Epstein’s life and case.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The president is coming out, giving a bunch of names, and tons of people who are getting messages from above them say, please don’t talk about these subjects; please don’t take these subjects on.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secondary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secondary. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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