second fiddle

Definition of second fiddlenext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of second fiddle My connoisseurship plays second fiddle to my status as a member of the clan. Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 2 June 2026 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 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 Colleen Camp, on the other hand, demonstrates a flair for light comedy as an alluring French maid, though the role too often requires her to play second fiddle to her own enhanced bosom. Kirk Ellis, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for second fiddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second fiddle
Noun
  • First-round pick Cameron Carr only played in the first half Monday, finishing with five points, one rebound, one assist, one steal, one block and three fouls in 12 minutes and 49 seconds.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Within seconds of arriving, we were checked in, and our luggage was tagged and whisked away, giving us ample time to use the bathroom and enjoy a cup of coffee in the lounge.
    Annie Archer, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
Noun
  • Bollo, the son of a domestic worker and a line cook, said he’s applied to work as a teaching assistant and graduate researcher, which would waive the cost of his tuition.
    Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • How — and to what extent — AI might reshape her profession remains to be seen, but jobs for administrative assistants and secretaries have been dwindling for decades.
    Claire Savage, Fortune, 5 July 2026
Noun
  • The Real Cost of Waiting Only one in four adults who could benefit from a hearing aid has ever used one, and the average person waits nine years after a diagnosis before doing anything about it.
    Allison Palmer July 1, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026
  • Most people who could benefit from a hearing aid have never used one.
    Allison Palmer July 1, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Noun
  • Some aides were pushing him to run for president in 2016 instead.
    Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 July 2026
  • As aides at the Capitol were actively building a stage for the celebratory event, meant to communicate a big cost-of-living win to voters, the president abruptly canceled it.
    Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Noun
  • Travis Medema, chief deputy for the Oregon State Fire Marshall, said his office will use FireSat to plan escape routes and monitor fires.
    Eric Niiler, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • With the help of a family friend, a retired deputy sheriff, Robinson’s parents persuaded him to surrender to authorities, according to charging documents.
    Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Noun
  • But that hasn’t stopped out-of-state reenactors from worrying their muskets will be confiscated at the George Washington Bridge, says Justin Costantino, adjutant of the Long Island Companies of the 3rd New York Regiment.
    Allen G. Breed, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
  • In the months since fellow senior Legion executives suspended Abrahamson without pay from his statewide adjutant job in April, a number of the roughly 8,000 members in Idaho have called for a change in leadership.
    Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 13 July 2024
Noun
  • Schnurr came to Cincinnati in 2008 as coadjutor archbishop and took over as archbishop about a year later, upon the retirement of former Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk.
    Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
  • By 1997, he was named coadjutor archbishop of Buenos Aires, assuming full leadership of the archdiocese the following year.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Second fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second%20fiddle. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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