How to Use second fiddle in a Sentence

second fiddle

noun
  • Viv never felt like a second fiddle, not at all.
    — Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • The business model is second fiddle to the safety of running it right.
    — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2019
  • Crime and the green belt are mentioned in his literature, but these play second fiddle.
    — The Economist, 7 Nov. 2019
  • Brooke feeling jealous or second fiddle to a fake celebrity doesn’t have the same power.
    — Danielle Turchiano, Variety, 9 Sep. 2021
  • So important, that other goals might play second fiddle.
    — Hillary Stalker, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Dec. 2025
  • The size of the room plays second fiddle to the design, which is eye-catching and confronting, but still thoughtful.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Mar. 2026
  • My connoisseurship plays second fiddle to my status as a member of the clan.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 2 June 2026
  • Maybe that would even work, but the problem is that Witten has never played second fiddle to anyone.
    — Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 28 Feb. 2020
  • But even this richly atmospheric setting played second fiddle (so to speak) to the clothes.
    — Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2023
  • She's trapped in a job defined by the limitations of being second fiddle.
    — Harold Maass, The Week, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Often playing second fiddle to apples, pears are a fall fruit deserving of the spotlight in their own right.
    — Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2022
  • Dignity has always played second fiddle to having fun.
    — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 15 Aug. 2025
  • While the crispy, crunchy croquette of pig’s head is the ostensible star of this course, the brothy butter beans here play second fiddle to no one.
    — Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 29 Dec. 2022
  • The shows, though, almost play second fiddle to the arsenal of musical options on board.
    — Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2024
  • Back in the 1930s, the heyday of the fur industry, mink played second fiddle to the long-haired furs.
    — John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Jan. 2020
  • That remains the case after playing second fiddle, for the most part, to Kadioglu at left-back.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 15 June 2026
  • Does Jadeveon Clowney just not want to play second fiddle to Myles Garrett?
    — Dan Labbe, cleveland, 23 June 2020
  • Indeed, at Philipp Plein, the clothing played a distant second fiddle to the music.
    — Adam Wray, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2017
  • Everyone plays second fiddle to Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone.
    — Erin Somers, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
  • The menu is almost shockingly ambitious to play second fiddle to a game of Scrabble.
    — Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 24 Oct. 2019
  • The religion of college football is strong in the South, and everything else just plays second fiddle.
    — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
  • As a second fiddle to the much more expensive Pro R, the Pro S is a great option.
    — New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2024
  • The first few years were spent relearning the ropes and playing second fiddle to teams like Red Bull Racing.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 12 Sep. 2017
  • After have a very good season, one of the most over-achieving teams in the NBA has to play second fiddle in their own city.
    — latimes.com, 27 June 2019
  • But on this night Brady played second fiddle to Foles despite throwing for a playoff record 505 yards.
    — USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2018
  • But the weird goat-guy in The Nun II just plays second fiddle to the titular Nun.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Bicycle tail lights have a way of playing second fiddle to their brighter, more interesting headlight siblings.
    — Ben Coxworth may 15, New Atlas, 15 May 2026
  • The supporting actors are all fine and all playing second fiddle to Swank, like their characters are to Eileen.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Oct. 2022
  • Often, the romance plays second fiddle to the central mystery and Patience’s own journey to make peace with herself in spite of the world around her.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 30 June 2020
  • In a country considered a wine capital, France’s cocktail culture has long played second fiddle.
    — Lane Nieset, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'second fiddle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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