third-rate
/'θə:d'reit/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective 1. Of inferior quality; markedly low in standard or value: Used to describe something considered to be of poor quality, worse than second-rate, and among the lowest in a ranking or scale of merit.
Usage
The adjective "third-rate" is used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "be" or "seem") to express strong criticism regarding the low quality of something. It implies a significant lack of excellence, skill, or value.
Examples
- The hotel was third-rate, with dirty rooms and rude staff.
- Critics panned the film as a third-rate imitation of a classic.
- His performance in the debate was third-rate at best.
- They refused to stay in such a third-rate establishment.
Advanced Usage
- "third-rate mind": A derogatory term for someone considered to have poor intellectual abilities or judgment.
- The columnist dismissed the politician's arguments as the product of a third-rate mind.
- Used in comparative structures to emphasize extreme inferiority.
- The sequel wasn't just bad; it was third-rate compared to the original masterpiece.
Variants and Related Words
- Third-rateness (noun, rare): The state or quality of being third-rate.
- The third-rateness of the production was evident in every scene.
Synonyms
- Inferior
- Substandard
- Shoddy
- Mediocre (though "mediocre" can imply average, while "third-rate" is explicitly below average)
- Poor-quality
Antonyms
- First-rate
- Top-notch
- Excellent
- Superior
Idioms and Phrases
- While not a phrasal verb, "third-rate" itself often functions in an idiomatic way within phrases of criticism.
- He's a third-rate hack. (A strongly critical way to say someone is an unskilled or dishonest professional, especially a writer.)
- It was a third-rate job from start to finish. (Emphasizes that the entire work or process was of very low quality.)
Adjective
- of lesser quality than second-rate