Meanings
adjectivesecond best (not comparable)
alternative second-best
- not comparableInferior to the best (but better than other alternatives).
I had to make do with a second-best alternative.
- not comparableeconomicsCharacterized by one or more optimality conditions not being satisfiable.
nounsecond best (plural second bests)
plural second bests · alternative second-best
- Something (or someone) that is inferior to the best (but better than other alternatives).
And so makeshift and second-best have continued.
1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 381 more example
If I made you feel second best / Well I'm sorry I was blind
1970, Johnny Christopher, Mark James, Wayne Carson, “Always On My Mind”, performed by Brenda Lee - economicsA situation where one or more optimality conditions cannot be satisfied.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
second best. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/second%20best
MLA
“second best.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/second%20best. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “second best,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/second%20best.
Source: second best on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.