secondary
gb/sˈɛkəndˌɛɹi/ us/sˈɛkəndˌɛɹi/
A2
English
~ 2000
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
less important or not primary
Not as important as something else; coming after the main thing.
Usage pattern:
[something] is secondary to [something else]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'secondary' with 'second', but 'secondary' refers to importance or rank, not simply order in time.
Synonyms
subordinate (More formal; often used in hierarchical or organizational contexts.)
|
minor (Suggests small importance or lesser seriousness.)
Antonyms
primary (Directly indicates the most important or main thing.)
|
main (Common, everyday opposite meaning the most important.)
Collocations
secondary role
|secondary concern
|secondary objective
|secondary source
|secondary effect
Themes
priorities
|comparison
|organization
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her happiness is secondary to her children's well-being.
- The environmental impact was a secondary consideration in the project.
- In this job, customer service is secondary to safety.
- His secondary concern was how much the trip would cost.
- The issue of parking is secondary compared to the budget problem.
Learner examples
- Food is secondary to water for survival.
- My health is not secondary to my work.
- Money is secondary when you love your job.
- Your comfort is not secondary to style.
- Fun is secondary to safety on this ride.
adjective
technical
A2
property
2
relating to middle or high school education
About school for older children, after primary school but before university.
Common mistake:
Some learners think 'secondary' here means 'less important', but in education it refers to a school level.
Synonyms
high-school-level (Informal and region-specific; refers to U.S. high school context.)
Antonyms
primary (Refers to the earlier stage of schooling for younger children.)
Collocations
secondary school
|secondary education
|secondary teacher
Themes
education
Examples
- She teaches mathematics at a secondary school.
- The country has invested heavily in secondary education.
- Secondary students often have more homework than primary pupils.
- He completed his secondary schooling abroad.
- Secondary teachers face different challenges than primary teachers.
Learner examples
- I go to a secondary school.
- Secondary education is important for all children.
- She is a secondary teacher.
- He finished secondary school last year.
- We have many subjects in secondary school.
adjective
technical
B2
property
3
resulting from another cause or condition
Happening because of another thing, not the first cause.
Synonyms
consequential (More formal; focuses on being a result of something else.)
|
derivative (Often used in technical fields; emphasizes being based on something else.)
Antonyms
primary (Refers to the original cause or source.)
Collocations
secondary infection
|secondary effect
|secondary damage
Themes
science
|medicine
|health
Examples
- The patient developed a secondary infection after surgery.
- Economic problems are often a secondary effect of political instability.
- The fire caused secondary damage due to water used in firefighting.
- Secondary symptoms appeared two days after the initial illness.
- Flooding was a secondary result of the heavy snow melt.
Learner examples
- He got a secondary infection after a cold.
- The flood was a secondary effect of the storm.
- Secondary problems came after the main event.
- She had a secondary injury from falling again.
- The disease can cause secondary health issues.
Grammar
Dictionary form
secondary
IPA
GB/sˈɛkəndˌɛɹi/
US/sˈɛkəndˌɛɹi/
Syllables & stress
sec - ond - ary (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (sec)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: secondary
Word family
Expressions
secondary education
1/sˈɛkəndˌɛɹi ˌɛd͡ʒəkˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
formal
schooling after primary level, before university
Education after primary school and before university.
Examples
- Many countries provide free secondary education.
- Secondary education usually lasts four to six years.
secondary school
1/sˈɛkəndˌɛɹi skˈul/
fixed phrase
school after primary, before university
A school for older children, after primary school but before university.
Examples
- She attends a local secondary school.
- Secondary schools often prepare students for exams.
secondary to
1/sˈɛkəndˌɛɹi tə/
fixed phrase
less important than something else
Less important than another thing.
Examples
- In my life, work is secondary to family.
- Safety should never be secondary to profit.