1
as in decent
of average to below average quality
a second-rate song from a songwriter who has done much better
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
And if Russia is a second-rate energy power, Putin’s political and economic model, much less his imperialist fantasies, no longer makes sense.
—
Edward Fishman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2023
So don’t expect anything different this December, even if USC manages to blow out some mid-tier Mountain West team in a second-rate bowl matchup.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
While Holmes won’t be behind the wheel, Hettinger Racing isn’t settling for second-rate talent.
—Greg Engle, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
The Trojans still had few postseason options available to them beyond a second-rate bowl game.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Edward Fishman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2023
So don’t expect anything different this December, even if USC manages to blow out some mid-tier Mountain West team in a second-rate bowl matchup.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
While Holmes won’t be behind the wheel, Hettinger Racing isn’t settling for second-rate talent.
—Greg Engle, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
The Trojans still had few postseason options available to them beyond a second-rate bowl game.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for second-rate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-rate
Adjective
-
The Seagate Expansion desktop hard drive stores a ridiculous 28 terabytes of data inside its relatively small footprint, with decent speed for a drive of this type and simple setup on both Windows and iOS machines.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2025
-
His character is a foreman, a father, a friend — just a decent, salt-of-the-earth dude, albeit one with a Costco-sized body count from his distant past.—
John DeVore,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Science popularization should not be considered as inferior to or detracting from traditional scientific research.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
-
For more than half of Thursday’s Sweet 16 game against Arkansas, Texas Tech looked like the inferior team.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Numerous territories across the globe including in Europe, Australia and Canada have solidified these as streaming services take advantage of their cheaper production hubs.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
3 Apr. 2025
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However, note that these are smaller models that could run on a less expensive GPUs or even a CPU with cheaper memory instead of the super expensive HBM memory currently used in all high-end accelerators.—
Karl Freund,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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With this deep mediocre array of right-handers, the O’s faithful will have to watch for incoming projectiles from lefty pull hitters.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Mar. 2025
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That mediocre showing was enough for the organization to fire president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and bring in franchise legend Buster Posey to replace him.—
Pueng Vongs,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Aftershocks are typically minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.—
William B. Davis,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Three other family members, two children and one 19-year-old, suffered minor wounds.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s a real debate to be had about what responsibility better-off neighborhoods like Hyde Park have to help solve humanitarian problems that often are laid at the feet of poorer areas.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
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Job loss also results in people experiencing higher levels of depressive symptoms, poor health, loss of social support, and disruption of social and family ties, according to Jennie E Brand, author of The Far-Reaching Impact of Job Loss and Unemployment.—
Paul Klein,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The sound from the optional Bose 12-speaker upgrade is satisfactory.—
Josh Max,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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Yet a great deal remained to be paid with funds expected after the submission of satisfactory progress reports.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In 2022, the average (mean) net worth of American families topped $1 million for the first time, up 42% from $749,000 in 2019.—
Wes Moss,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
-
The full cast of Norse godhood is here, specifically Thor — who is portrayed like Valhalla’s meanest bar bouncer.—
Luke Winkie,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Second-rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-rate. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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