Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of secondary status.
  • adjective Of or relating to travel accommodations ranking next below the highest or first class.
  • adjective Considered or treated as inferior in status, rights, or privileges in comparison with some others.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Belonging to the class next after the first: specifically noting railway-carriages, steamer accommodations, and the like: as, second-class passengers; a second-class ticket.
  • Inferior, in any sense: as, a second-class hotel.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of the rank or degree below the best or highest; inferior; second-rate.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Inferior in quality or standing.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of inferior status or quality
  • noun not the highest rank in a classification
  • noun not the highest quality in a classification
  • adverb by second class conveyance
  • noun a class of accommodations on a ship or train or plane that are less expensive than first class accommodations

Etymologies

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