Definition of "fourth-rate" [fourth-rate]

• Of the fourth rate or class: specifically, formerly, the rating of a vessel carrying from 50 to70 guns.

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "Third - and fourth-rate writers settle for careers."
• "Kit Corrigan is a gem in a lousy setting, a scorching redhead who can dance like a dream but who is stuck in the chorus line of a fourth-rate musical."
• "They predicted that these schools are "for the most part, likely to remain fourth-rate institutions at the tail end of the academic procession.""