third-rate
Americanadjective
-
of the third rate, quality, or class.
-
distinctly inferior.
a third-rate performance.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- third-rater noun
Etymology
Origin of third-rate
First recorded in 1640–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For investors, the narrow decision sets up a potential third-rate rise this year at the Australian central bank’s next board meeting in May.
For investors, the narrow decision sets up a potential third-rate rise this year at the RBA’s next board meeting in May.
“They told me he was a third-rate hedge fund guy who didn’t know what he was talking about.”
From Literature
It was third-rate stuff, with apologies to third-rate.
From BBC
In December, he made similar claims about the three public figures, calling Sharpton a “third-rate con man.”
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
