secondary

1.形容詞B2

釋義

not as important or serious as something else that you are comparing it with

例句

Ritu thought the colour of the car was secondary to its fuel efficiency.

pattern: secondary to [noun] — less important than

For the volunteers, public recognition was secondary to actually helping people.

同義詞

minor
suggests something is small or unimportant; 'secondary' focuses on a comparison with a main thing
subsidiary
more formal; suggests being under the control of or less important than a larger entity
subordinate
suggests a lower rank in a hierarchy; more formal than 'secondary'

反義詞

primary
most important; the direct opposite of secondary
main
less formal than 'primary'; the central thing in a situation

文法句型

secondary to [noun phrase]

用法筆記

Often used in the pattern 'secondary to [something]' to show what the main thing is. Can appear both before a noun (a secondary issue) and after a linking verb (the issue was secondary).

常見錯誤

❌I finished secondary in the race.

✅I finished second in the race.

💡'secondary' means less important, not the position after first.

❌She gave me a secondary chance.

✅She gave me a second chance.

💡'secondary' does not mean 'second in order'; use 'second' for sequence.

2.形容詞B2

釋義

coming from or happening after something that existed or occurred first, and depending on it

例句

The patient developed a secondary infection after the surgery.

medical: secondary infection — follows another illness or treatment

Historians often use secondary sources such as journal articles and textbooks.

academic: secondary sources — written by people who did not witness the event

同義詞

derived
more technical; often used in academic contexts to describe something traced back to an original
resulting
focuses on cause and effect; less formal than 'secondary'
subsequent
simply means 'coming after' without implying dependence

反義詞

primary
original, first-hand; the direct opposite in both medical and academic contexts
original
existing from the beginning, not derived from something else

文法句型

secondary + noun (medical term)

secondary + noun (academic term)

用法筆記

Common in medicine (secondary infection, secondary symptom) and in academic research (secondary source, secondary data). In both fields, it describes something that follows from and depends on something earlier.

常見錯誤

❌I used a secondary source to describe my own experiment.

✅I used a secondary source to analyse historical events.

💡a secondary source interprets or comments on primary sources; it is not a direct record.

3.形容詞B1

釋義

connected with schools or classes for young people who are roughly eleven to eighteen years old

例句

Hamza started secondary school when he was eleven years old.

collocation: secondary school

The government has increased funding for secondary education across the country.

collocation: secondary education

同義詞

high school (US)
the main American term for secondary school; covers grades 9–12, roughly ages 14–18

反義詞

primary
relating to the first stage of school, typically for children aged 5–11

文法句型

secondary + school / education / student / teacher

用法筆記

Only used before a noun. In British English, secondary school covers ages 11–16 or 11–18. In American English, the equivalent stage is usually called high school (ages 14–18), with middle school or junior high (ages 11–14) sometimes included in the broader concept of secondary education.

常見錯誤

❌My son is in secondary school at age five.

✅My son is in primary school at age five.

💡secondary education starts around age eleven.

secondary — adjective

1. not as important or serious as something else that you are comparing it with

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

2. coming from or happening after something that existed or occurred first, and dep

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

3. connected with schools or classes for young people who are roughly eleven to eig

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

secondary — noun

1. in American football, the players on a team who try to stop the other team from

文法句型

用法筆記