Secondary Meaning
/ˈsɛkənd(ə)ɹɪ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjNext in order to the first or primary; of second place in origin, rank, etc.
adjOriginating from a deputy or delegated person or body.
Sentence Examples
In my understanding, Robinson treats this element as secondary.
Social relationships are secondary to this business.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The most important concern is safety, while cost is a ____ consideration for us.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor referred her to a ____ care specialist after the initial diagnosis.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English secundarie, from Latin secundārius (“of the second class or quality”), from secundus (whence the English second) + -ārius (whence the English suffix -ary), equivalent to second + -ary; compare the French secondaire, the Italian secondario, the Occitan secundari, the Portuguese secundario, and the Spanish secundario.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"the problem of sexual equality became even more secondary than before in the eyes of the kibbutz and of its women members."
— 1992, Deborah Bernstein, Pioneers and Homemakers: Jewish Women in Pre-state Israel, page 227:
"With the exception of a secondary loss in Dimecoenia, larvae of Ephydrini have prominent, ventral prolegs that bear crochets."
— 2016 May 27, Wayne M. Matthis, Luciane Marinoni, “Revision of Ephydrini Zetterstedt (Diptera: Ephydridae) from the Americas south of the United States”, in Zootaxa, volume 4116, number 1, →DOI:
"Old Escalus […] is thy secondary."
— c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The most important concern is safety, while cost is a ____ consideration for us.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor referred her to a ____ care specialist after the initial diagnosis.