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Definition of "second-class" [sec•ond-class]

  • Of secondary status: second-class issues. (adjective)
  • Of or relating to travel accommodations ranking next below the highest or first class. (adjective)
  • Of or relating to a class of U.S. and Canadian mail consisting of newspapers and periodicals. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "second-class" in a sentence
  • "To be Hispanic is not to be a second-class citizen."
  • "It is not at all surprising that a people relegated to second-class citizenship should behave as second-class citizens."
  • "The Commission explained why "second-class information citizenship is looming" for many Americans, but commission reports tend not to be powerful tools for motivating grass-roots organizing."