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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of second-class
That was never going to be true at Maryland, even if plenty of Terps fans would prefer that more resources go to basketball than to a football program doomed to second-class citizenship in the Big Ten.
—
Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
Someone riding a bus or even walking as a means of transport is viewed as a second-class citizen.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
By some accounts, the main galley, which prepared the meals for first- and second-class passengers, had a bakery, a butcher shop and storage space for wine, beer and oysters.
—James Barron, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Raising girls in a world where women are often treated as second-class citizens isn’t easy.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-class
Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
Someone riding a bus or even walking as a means of transport is viewed as a second-class citizen.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
By some accounts, the main galley, which prepared the meals for first- and second-class passengers, had a bakery, a butcher shop and storage space for wine, beer and oysters.
—James Barron, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Raising girls in a world where women are often treated as second-class citizens isn’t easy.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-class
Adjective
-
His radically inferior Black Panther sequel was rewritten in a scramble following the death of star Chadwick Boseman, and its very existence can be seen both as a testament to corporate inertia and a big, forgivable asterisk on an otherwise stellar CV.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Even if the Supreme Court finds that the members are inferior officers, as the Trump administration argues, Mitchell said that category of executive branch officials still requires appointment by the president and Senate, unless Congress says otherwise.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Thus far, Wall Street has had a decent start to the first-quarter earnings season.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2025
-
The former Washington Husky has had a decent start to his 2025 season.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As mentioned above, taking creatine in higher doses, such as 20 grams per day, may trigger minor side effects like water retention.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Commonly known as Tylenol, it's thought to reduce fever and relieve minor aches and pains by raising your body's pain threshold and regulating your body temperature.—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
It will be attended by dozens of religious and political leaders from around the world, including President Donald Trump, and thousands of ordinary worshipers.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Oliver is closer to ordinary than dominant on a game-by-game basis, while DeWayne Carter was a healthy scratch in the playoffs.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Monitor performance using mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE).—
Devadas Pattathil,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Larsa Pippen found out the hard way what life is like in the mean ‘burbs.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The surgery was difficult due to Bolsonaro’s prior surgeries and stab wound, but Sunday’s procedure did not have unexpected complications and the result was satisfactory, doctors said, adding that hospital visits for now should be limited to family.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
14 Apr. 2025
-
According to the complaint, Combs allegedly said the act wasn’t satisfactory and threatened Doe with violence afterward.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In a skillet, sweat the onion with half the extra virgin olive oil for several minutes over medium heat.—
Isabella Milano,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Place a cast-iron skillet or other heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.—
Linda Zavoral,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For small teams, especially in early-stage startups, spreading content efforts thin often leads to mediocre results across all platforms.—
Abdo Riani,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
-
After a mediocre entry in 2023’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage—which began as Valhalla DLC and was developed by B-team Ubisoft Bordeaux—Shadows is an all-in, massive budget monstrosity led by the very Aist of teams.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Second-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-class. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share