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
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.
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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
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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.—
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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.—
Adjective
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Both of these teams are off to decent starts, as Detroit leads the AL Central and the Yanks have, ahem, torpedoeed their way to a 6-5 record thus far.—
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At least, thanks to a decent selection of ports, both machines will easily work with the usual Mac accessories, and both models are outfitted with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.—
Adjective
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As mentioned above, taking creatine in higher doses, such as 20 grams per day, may trigger minor side effects like water retention.—
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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.—
Adjective
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During ordinary times, this accommodation would reflect an appropriate respect for the constitutional separation of powers.—
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Inevitably, skipping ordinary procedural checks, the administration made at least one mistake in deporting Abrego Garcia, and probably many others.—
Adjective
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Monitor performance using mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE).—
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Larsa Pippen found out the hard way what life is like in the mean ‘burbs.—
Adjective
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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.—
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According to the complaint, Combs allegedly said the act wasn’t satisfactory and threatened Doe with violence afterward.—
Adjective
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Toss in a damp towel or a handful of ice cubes alongside your polyester item, then run the dryer on medium heat for five to ten minutes.—
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Switch the speed to medium and slowly stream in the 3/4 cup olive oil.—
Adjective
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And most VCs seem to be average or mediocre at best.—
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Milwaukee sits with a mediocre 5-5 record, while New Orleans sits with a 3-7 record.—
Cite this Entry
“Second-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-class. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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