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.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
"I kind of ditched them. I started listening to what A&R or the record labels felt they had slots for. I was called a third-rate Pat Benatar. I was probably a fifth-rate Pat Benatar."
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2025
Today, it’s pumping out third-rate articles by AI-generated writers in a darkening corner of the internet.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2023
It’s tough being so rich you can outspend anyone, but not so rich you can afford to buy a third-rate social network without a little help.
From Slate • Oct. 10, 2023
“They told me he was a third-rate hedge fund guy who didn’t know what he was talking about.”
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
