second-rate
/ˌsɛk(ə)ndˈreɪt
/adjective
Of mediocre or inferior quality: a second-rate theatre...
- Now I don't have to drag myself to the second-rate theater where this film is playing in Madison.
- That means challenging Scots to better themselves instead of meekly accepting shoddy and second-rate services.
- I don't want to write anything shoddy or second-rate just because it will get on.
Synonyms
substandard, below standard, below par, bad, deficient, defective, faulty, imperfect, inferior, mediocre;
abject, poor, appalling, abysmal, atrocious, awful, terrible, dismal, dreadful, unsatisfactory, low-grade, third-rate, jerry-built, shoddy, crude, tinny, trashy, rubbishy, miserable, wretched, lamentable, deplorable, pitiful, inadequate, insufficient, unacceptable, execrable, frightful
informal crummy, dire, bum, diabolical, rotten, sad, tatty, tacky, tenth-rate
British informal ropy, duff, rubbish, pants, a load of pants, grotty
vulgar slang crap, crappy
archaic direful
rare egregious
Derivatives
second-rater
- Wouldn't it be a lot more reassuring, for most of us, to believe that second-raters can make it, at least once in a while?
- Keating is a duplicitous second-rater who never has an original idea and consequently enjoys much success.
- So if we think we're running against a second-rater without gravitas, we're dead wrong.