secondary

American  

[sek-uhn-der-ee] / ˈsɛk ənˌdɛr i /

adjective

1. next after the first in order, place, time, etc.

2. belonging or pertaining to a second order, division, stage, period, rank, grade, etc.

3. dependent on or generated by something more basic; derivative.

4. (in scholarly studies) pertaining to or being a derived or derivative account, an evaluation of original data, etc.; not primary or original, as in

5. of minor or lesser importance; subordinate; auxiliary.

   Synonyms:

   backup, supplementary, subsidiary

6. of or relating to secondary schools.

7. Chemistry.

   1. involving or obtained by the replacement of two atoms or groups.

   2. noting or containing a carbon atom united to two other carbon atoms in a chain or ring molecule.

8. Electricity. noting or pertaining to the current induced by a primary winding or to the winding in which the current is induced in an induction coil, transformer, or the like.

9. Geology. noting or pertaining to a mineral produced from another mineral by decay, alteration, or the like.

10. Grammar.

    1. (of a derivative) having a root or other unanalyzable element that is itself a word or free form.

       The word “glazier” is a secondary derivative formed by adding a suffix to “glaze.” The word "debatably" is formed directly from "debatable" and is therefore a secondary derivative from "debate."

    2. having reference to past time; noting or pertaining to a past tense.

       the Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit secondary tenses.

11. Ornithology. pertaining to any of a set of flight feathers on the second segment of a bird's wing.

12. Linguistics. of, relating to, or characteristic of a secondary accent.

    secondary stress.

---

noun

• secondaries
  plural

1. a person or thing that is secondary.

2. a subordinate, assistant, deputy, or agent.

3. Electricity. a winding in a transformer or the like in which a current is induced by a primary winding.

4. Ornithology. a secondary feather.

5. Football. the defensive unit that lines up behind the linemen.

6. Linguistics. secondary accent.

secondary British  

/ ˈsɛkəndərɪ, -drɪ /

adjective

1. one grade or step after the first; not primary

2. derived from or depending on what is primary, original, or first

   a secondary source

3. below the first in rank, importance, etc; not of major importance

4. (prenominal) of or relating to the education of young people between the ages of 11 and 18

   secondary education

5. (of the flight feathers of a bird's wing) growing from the ulna

6. 1. being the part of an electric circuit, such as a transformer or induction coil, in which a current is induced by a changing current in a neighbouring coil

      a secondary coil

   2. (of a current) flowing in such a circuit Compare primary

7. (of an industry) involving the manufacture of goods from raw materials Compare primary tertiary

8. geology (of minerals) formed by the alteration of pre-existing minerals

9. chem

   1. (of an organic compound) having a functional group attached to a carbon atom that is attached to one hydrogen atom and two other groups

   2. (of an amine) having only two organic groups attached to a nitrogen atom; containing the group NH

   3. (of a salt) derived from a tribasic acid by replacement of two acidic hydrogen atoms with metal atoms or electropositive groups

10. linguistics

    1. derived from a word that is itself a derivation from another word. Thus, lovably comes from lovable and is a secondary derivative from love

    2. (of a tense in Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit) another word for historic

---

noun

1. a person or thing that is secondary

2. a subordinate, deputy, or inferior

3. a secondary coil, winding, inductance, or current in an electric circuit

4. ornithol any of the flight feathers that grow from the ulna of a bird's wing See primary

5. astronomy a celestial body that orbits around a specified primary body

   the moon is the secondary of the earth

6. med a cancerous growth in some part of the body away from the site of the original tumour

7. American football

   1. cornerbacks and safeties collectively

   2. their area in the field

8. short for secondary colour

secondary Scientific  

/ sĕk′ən-dĕr′ē /

1. Relating to a secondary color.

2. Relating to or derived from either of the lateral meristems (the cork cambium or the vascular cambium) of vascular plants. For example, secondary xylem in a stem is produced by the vascular cambium, as opposed to primary xylem produced by the apical meristem during the original growth of the stem from a seedling.

3. See also secondary growth

4. 1. Relating to or having a carbon atom that is attached to two other carbon atoms in a molecule.

   2. Relating to an organic molecule, such as an alcohol, in which the functional group is attached to a secondary carbon.

5. Relating to a medical condition that arises as a result of another disorder, disease process, or injury.

6. Compare primary tertiary

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• secondariness
  noun
• secondarily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• secondaries
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of secondary

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word secundārius. See second ¹, -ary

---

Explanation

Something secondary is second most important. This can also refer to things that are not important at all. If you have a primary duty, that's what you need to do first. Secondary duties must be done next, since second is a form of the number two. You could say your secondary goal at a job is to get experience, if your main goal is to make money. Also, people will sometimes say, "This is our goal. Everything else is secondary." That means other concerns are trivial or unimportant. Either way, secondary things never come first.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

secondary secondaries

Welsh parents are currently thinking about the next steps for their children, with application deadlines for secondary school places at the end of this month.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The Netherlands hopes to insulate the court by activating the European Union’s “blocking statute,” a rule that would ban EU companies from complying with the sanctions and thereby expose them to U.S. secondary sanctions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Goldman also scored higher investment banking fees, citing increases in completed mergers and an elevated level of initial public and secondary equity offerings.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Currently, the most extreme high tides are occurring between 10 and 11 a.m., with milder secondary high tides between 11 p.m. and midnight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Primary and secondary fell out of use altogether, while quaternary was discarded by some but kept by others.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Some councils oversee a handful of schools – including only four secondaries in some cases.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

She co-leads the Boston-based advisory firm’s secondaries team.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Arctos’s offering is distinct from the better-known approaches such as so-called GP-stakes investing, secondaries investing or net-asset-value lending, Charles said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

DC Advisory had viewed secondaries as a key potential growth area and hired Sammartino in April 2023 to bolster its efforts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

His secondaries sprouted along his forearms, and a charming little false primary sprang from the end of each thumb.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• inferior
• insignificant
• trivial
• unimportant

---