Less
Less adjective - Having not so great importance or rank as another.
Usage example: the restaurant's chowder has been declared the state's best by no less a person than the governor himself
Second-rate and less are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Second-rate" instead an adjective "Less".
Second-rate
Second-rate adjective - Of average to below average quality.
Less and second-rate are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Less" instead an adjective phrase "Second-rate".
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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Tom is less deluded but still demands to know why Jenny thinks he would leave being the Queen's lover for a job in a second-rate orchestra eking out a living.
Source: Lotus-Eater Machine - An Italian Scrooge McDuck comic has him trying to hunt down a second-rate philosopher's stone - it can turn any metal into silver - because he owns a majority of the world's silver mines, and its existence would make silver worth much less (presumably, anyone who gets the stone can duplicate it).
Source: Artistic License Economics - NASCAR has three main touring series: the Sprint Cup Series (main series), Xfinity Series (second-rate supplementary series to the Sprint Cup Series for less experienced drivers), and the Camping World Truck Series (NASCAR races with pickup trucks).
Source: Trope Co. Trope of the Week
Cite this Source
Second-rate and Less. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/less/second-rate
Less & Second-rate. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/less/second-rate>.
Second-rate or Less. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/less/second-rate.
