How to Use second-rate in a Sentence

second-rate

adjective
  • These fans understand that M.L.S. is a second-rate show, and that the real hot action is taking place overseas, in the élite leagues of Europe.
    Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 23 July 2023
  • After all, the media companies are only going to spend so much for the rights to broadcast second-rate games.
    Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Here’s a selection of the best upcoming events where there’ll be no need to eat out of a Styrofoam box or listen to second-rate indie bands.
    Joe Minihane, CNN, 5 Mar. 2023
  • Frozen blueberries are especially handy to have around for drink recipes—and not just as a second-rate substitute for fresh produce.
    Ali Ramee, Southern Living, 2 July 2023
  • The sing-song qualities of his music did not sit well with many music critics, who dismissed him as a second-rate talent with little to offer.
    George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Moore herself has, with sly self-mockery, invoked Stephen Sondheim’s line that excessive bird imagery is a sign of a second-rate poet.
    Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023
  • However, the thing that really bothers many parents like me who opt for medicated births is the idea that this kind of scenario is somehow second-rate.
    Marisa Cohen, Parents, 12 Aug. 2023
  • East Coast media have started to sour on sample sale culture, with their hours-long waits, appointment systems and second-rate selection.
    Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023
  • But there’s another component to the issue of second-rate men’s basketball: The collective ceiling.
    Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
  • According to Charter, Disney had placed some of its best content exclusively on its streamers, leaving cable with second-rate content.
    Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'second-rate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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