1
as in inferior
of little or less value or merit
a playwright who produced only second-class work when he turned his hand to poetry
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decent
of average to below average quality
it's only a second-class restaurant and not worth the high prices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of second-class
The days of Southern Black Christians submitting to second-class treatment in the house of the Lord had ended.
—
Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
Anne Madarasz, chief historian and director of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Heinz History Center, says Woodruff was one of just 18 Black athletes who traveled to Berlin that year to represent a country that, in many ways, still treated them as second-class citizens.
—Christopher Derose, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2026
Mindanaoans had felt like second-class Filipinos for longer than the country had been independent.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Women are second-class citizens and must cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothing in all public spaces.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for second-class
Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
Anne Madarasz, chief historian and director of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Heinz History Center, says Woodruff was one of just 18 Black athletes who traveled to Berlin that year to represent a country that, in many ways, still treated them as second-class citizens.
—Christopher Derose, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2026
Mindanaoans had felt like second-class Filipinos for longer than the country had been independent.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Women are second-class citizens and must cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothing in all public spaces.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for second-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-class
Adjective
-
Investors have also questioned the commercial viability of Novo's pipeline, such as its next-generation drug CagriSema, which was shown to be inferior to Zepbound in Novo's own study earlier this year.—
Elsa Ohlen,Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
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Millwall must win to capitalise on any points dropped by Ipswich, thanks to that vastly inferior goal difference, while Middlesbrough’s hopes of gatecrashing the top two are also dependent on securing all three points.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Mother's Day Weekend, overall, is looking decent.—
Cutter Martin,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
-
The Leafs still have two top-line stars in Auston Matthews and William Nylander, both taken high in the draft 10 and 12 years ago, and two emerging young talents in Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan, giving the makings of a decent top-six forward group already.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
The buckling may start in the middle, and minor variations in a given can’s shape and size might affect when the first ring emerges.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
-
Obtain one that contains major and minor nutrients.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
Each episode closes the gap between inspiration and action, reminding audiences that remarkable brands are built by ordinary people who choose to keep going.—
Ascend Agency,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
The only administrative requirements should be the ordinary ones that are necessary in order to maintain any system, such as confirming identity and preventing fraud, not ones that screen people out of necessary care.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
There is a line that can be crossed, and it’s being mean.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
-
The stone, a little white-hot comet, flew in a tight, mean line across the expanse.—
Chang-rae Lee,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
The call wasn’t satisfactory for Perez.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 May 2026
-
The defense was more than satisfactory in subduing the league’s top offense.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The are headed to medium-Earth orbit at about 5,000 miles altitude.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
Combine milk, oats, salt, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Antonelli also passed the Ferrari quickly, and by lap 22, Leclerc’s race was looking pretty mediocre, stuck behind Russell after both had made relatively early pit stops for the mandatory tire change.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
4 May 2026
-
The display also had mediocre color accuracy, with reds that verge on orange, plus a noticeable stage lighting backlight bleed from the hinge.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Second-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-class. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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