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• second class
  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.
• second-class
  second-class

  adjective

  of a secondary class or quality.

second class

¹ American  

noun

second classes plural

1. 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.

2. (in the U.S. Postal Service) the class of mail consisting of newspapers and periodicals not sealed against postal inspection.

3. the second of three honors degrees conferred by a British university.

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second-class ² American  

[sek-uhnd-klas, -klahs] / ˈsɛk əndˈklæs, -ˈklɑs /

adjective

1. of a secondary class or quality.

2. second-rate; inferior.

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adverb

1. by second-class mail or passenger accommodations.

   to travel second-class.

second class British  

noun

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

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adjective

1. of the class or grade next to the best in quality, etc

2. shoddy or inferior

3. of or denoting the class of accommodation in a hotel or on a train, etc, lower in quality and price than first class

4. 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

5. education See second 1

adverb

1. by second-class mail, transport, etc

second class Idioms  

1. Inferior; see second best .

2. 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]

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

4. 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]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• second classes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of second class¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Origin of second-class²

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

That year, 76.9% of first class letters and 92.2% of second class letters were delivered on time.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

A first class stamp now costs £1.80 - an increase of 10p - while a second class letter has risen by 4p to 91p.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

“He thinks it’s really important that the authors of the 14th Amendment came in and granted citizenship on this principle that there’s no second class of people born in this country.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

Citizens Advice described the change as "yet another blow to consumers", and said the change to the second class price was "unjust".

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2025

I had been shamed enough in that cafe that, while I liked riding the rails, right then I wasn’t going no second class.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson