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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of second-class
On the weekend of August 9, the Okmulgee Roy LeBlanc Invitational Rodeo marks its 70th year, the legacy of two dozen Black businessmen, farmers and ranchers frustrated with the second-class treatment accorded to Black rodeo competitors and their fans in the 1950s.
—
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2025
By prioritizing detention facilities and deportation before the ever-persistent needs of Florida constituents, taxpayers have become second-class citizens in their own state.
—Victoria MacHado, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2025
The 2018 Nation-State Law and other regulations have deepened these grievances, leaving many Druze feeling like second-class citizens.
—Faisal J. Abbas, semafor.com, 28 July 2025
Obviously, coaches in the ACC, like Cristobal, do not want their league to be officially relegated to second-class status.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-class
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2025
By prioritizing detention facilities and deportation before the ever-persistent needs of Florida constituents, taxpayers have become second-class citizens in their own state.
—Victoria MacHado, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2025
The 2018 Nation-State Law and other regulations have deepened these grievances, leaving many Druze feeling like second-class citizens.
—Faisal J. Abbas, semafor.com, 28 July 2025
Obviously, coaches in the ACC, like Cristobal, do not want their league to be officially relegated to second-class status.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-class
Adjective
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In this respect his authority would be nominally the same with that of the king of Great Britain, but in substance much inferior to it.—
Chris Lehmann,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
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As a result, some companies feel pressure to reduce prices or to sell inferior products, said Greenhouse’s Millen.—
The Detroit News,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Sullivan’s Crossing also enjoyed a decent audience this interval with 727M minutes viewed, putting it at No. 8.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
22 Aug. 2025
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Well, while other planets in our solar system are anything but habitable for humans, Mars gets a decent amount of sunlight, has water sources and is already a planet where humanity has sent robotic rovers to scout the terrain.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In December 2022, Kendra Licari was arrested and charged with two counts of stalking a minor, two counts of communicating with another to commit a crime and one count of obstruction of justice, according to the arrest warrant obtained by NBC News.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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Licari's mom was arrested and charged with two counts of stalking a minor and two counts of communicating with another to commit a crime, according to NBC News.—
Beth Sobol,
People.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The big names brought national attention to the theft ring, but other targets slipped by the news media, just as an ordinary burglary might.—
Bebe Hodges,
The Enquirer,
25 Aug. 2025
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Wide yellow sands, endless skies, and the tang of salt in the air that had seemed ordinary in childhood suddenly felt magnetic.—
Rohan Banerjee,
Time,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But Douglas Luiz is their landmark signing of the summer, the addition that sends out a message to the rest of the Premier League — in a slightly different way to the one from this time three years ago — that Forest mean business.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
22 Aug. 2025
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The 6–10 Day and 8–14 Day averages are then calculated by averaging all of the daily mean temperatures within their respective forecast periods, the agency says.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The mic did a satisfactory job handling some background noise, though, effectively neutralizing it enough to keep my voice clear.—
Mark Knapp,
PC Magazine,
25 Aug. 2025
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During an appellate court hearing last September, Trump’s lawyers argued that many of the case’s allegations were too old and that James had misused a consumer protection law to sue Trump over private business transactions that were satisfactory to those involved.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In terms of support, the Resort model offers medium support, striking a balance between luxurious yet substantial.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
22 Aug. 2025
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Indeed, a medium mandarin (about 88 grams) contains roughly 12 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber and just 47 calories.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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When women serve, their male partner may have a longer reach at the net to poach and put away mediocre returns, whereas when men serve to men, their female partner at the net likely has less range to finish points on the second shot with a volley.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
21 Aug. 2025
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During his four-year career, he’s been defined by prolonged stretches of mediocre baseball.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Second-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-class. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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