second best

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second best

adjective second-best

not comparable Inferior to the best (but better than other alternatives). I had to make do with a second-best alternative.
not comparable Characterized by one or more optimality conditions not being satisfiable.

noun second bests · second-best

Something (or someone) that is inferior to the best (but better than other alternatives). And so makeshift and second-best have continued.
A situation where one or more optimality conditions cannot be satisfied.

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MLA

"second best." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/second%20best. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

second best. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/second%20best

Chicago

"second best." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/second%20best.

BibTeX

@misc{second_best_2026,
  title = {second best},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/second%20best},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}