second-class

[sek-uh nd-klas, -klahs]

See more synonyms for second-class on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of a secondary class or quality.
second-rate; inferior.

adverb

by second-class mail or passenger accommodations: to travel second-class.

Origin of second-class

First recorded in 1830–40

second class

noun

the class of travel accommodations, as on a train, that are less costly and luxurious than first class but are more costly and luxurious than third class.Compare cabin class.
(in the U.S. Postal Service) the class of mail consisting of newspapers and periodicals not sealed against postal inspection.
the second of three honors degrees conferred by a British university.

Origin of second class

First recorded in 1830–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for second-class

average, bad, base, common, fair, good-for-nothing, hack, imperfect, indifferent, junk, lemon, lousy, low-grade, low-quality, mean, mediocre, middling, ordinary, paltry, sad

Examples from the Web for second-class

Contemporary Examples of second-class

Women are still treated like second-class citizens in many ways.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Why He’s Exploring the Word ‘Feminism’ and Online Misogyny
Marlow Stern
September 22, 2014
Unless they do,” she says, “victims of violence by NFL players will continue to be treated as second-class citizens.
Gloria Allred Sacks the NFL, Suing Another Player for Domestic Abuse
Samantha Allen
September 17, 2014
Still, this is what trans people live with: being treated as second-class citizens, even by others in the “LGBT community.”
RuPaul’s ‘She-Mail’ Exits Drag Race
Parker Molloy
April 14, 2014
They do it because they want women to be submissive, second-class citizen.
Harassment Of Women Is Nothing New—The Internet Just Makes It Easier
Amanda Marcotte
January 17, 2014
But in this theater, they are still only second-class citizens, waiting in the aisles of history.
Palestinians Cast a U.N. Vote, Move Closer to State Recognition
Matt Surrusco
November 25, 2013

Historical Examples of second-class

They were seated in a second-class railway carriage by this time.
Henry Dunbar
M. E. Braddon
"We are going for cattle," and he took two second-class tickets for Dalby.
Australia Revenged
Boomerang
A second-class compartment of a corridor carriage, in motion.
The Little Man (From Six Short Plays)
John Galsworthy
The second-class and steerage passengers were equally anxious.
The Coming Conquest of England
August Niemann
The lists had just appeared, and he was only a second-class man.
The Bertrams
Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for second-class

second class

noun

the class or grade next in value, quality, etc, to the first

adjective

of the class or grade next to the best in quality, etc
shoddy or inferior
of or denoting the class of accommodation in a hotel or on a train, etc, lower in quality and price than first class
1. (in Britain) of or relating to mail that is processed more slowly than first-class mail
2. (in the US and Canada) of or relating to mail that consists mainly of newspapers, etc
education See second 1 (def. 10)

adverb

by second-class mail, transport, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for second-class

adj.

1833, from noun phrase (1810), from second (adj.) + class (n.). Phrase second-class citizen is recorded from 1942.

The Negro recognizes that he is a second-class citizen and that status is fraught with violent potentialities, particularly today when he is living up to the full responsibilities of citizenship on the field of battle. [Louis E. Martin, "To Be or Not to Be a Liberal," in "The Crisis," September 1942]

Idioms and Phrases with second-class

second class

Inferior; see second best.

Travel accommodations ranking below the highest or first class, as in Traveling second class on European trains is not only cheaper but gives you more contact with local people. [c. 1840]

In the United States and Canada, a category of mail consisting of periodicals and newspapers. [c. 1870]

second-class citizen. An individual regarded or treated as inferior to others in status or rights, an underprivileged person. For example, In many countries women still are considered second-class citizens. This term uses second class in the sense of “inferior.” [c. 1940]