second fiddle

noun

: one that plays a supporting or subservient role

Examples of second fiddle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But after years of playing second fiddle, CHROs are poised to become a major player in the C-suite, according to Stanford economist and workplace guru Nick Bloom. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024 What kind of rock star move is that, willingly playing second fiddle to a solar apocalypse? Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024 The nature of the job All vice presidents play second fiddle to the top of the ticket, as that's the nature of the job. Ron Elving, NPR, 30 Mar. 2024 But Singleton's attention quickly turned from Martell to Jeannie C. Riley, Plantation's biggest act, a white country and gospel singer to whom Martell refused to play second fiddle. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 29 Mar. 2024 Ethereum plays second fiddle to bitcoin and is lagging it. Clem Chambers, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 This marks an absolutely pivotal moment for the 20-year-old launch company, which has gone from the titan of the US launch industry to playing a distant second fiddle to its one-time upstart competitor SpaceX. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 5 Jan. 2024 Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick played second fiddle to the team’s defenses. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2024 No equal business partner has ever played second fiddle better than Charlie Munger. Jason Zweig, WSJ, 28 Nov. 2023

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.

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of second fiddle was in 1809

Dictionary Entries Near second fiddle

Cite this Entry

“Second fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second%20fiddle. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

second fiddle

noun
: a person who fills a secondary role

More from Merriam-Webster on second fiddle

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