secondary
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Next to the first or primary.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sehkuhnduhreeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsɛkəndɛɹi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Next in order to the first or primary; of second place in origin, rank, etc.
Originating from a deputy or delegated person or body.
organic chemistry
Derived from a parent compound by replacement of two atoms of hydrogen by organic radicals.
of a color
Formed by mixing primary colors.
Of less than primary importance.
noun
One who occupies a subordinate or auxiliary place; a delegate deputy.
Any of three colours derived from mixing two primary colours.
Anything secondary or of lesser importance.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Next in order to the first or primary; of second place in origin, rank, etc.
Used this way, secondary is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Cessation of menstruation in a woman who had previously menstruated.
A cell that can be recharged.
Armed forces censorship of the personal communications of officers or civilian employees or enlisted personnel not subject to primary censorship.
Coil such that current is induced in it by passing a current through the primary coil.
Dentition of permanent teeth.
The diagonal of a square matrix running from the lower left entry to the upper right entry.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Someone who serves in a subordinate capacity or plays a secondary role.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.