- 1 less important than something else That is just a secondary consideration. Experience is what matters—age is of secondary importance. secondary to something Raising animals was only secondary to other forms of farming.
- 2 happening as a result of something else a secondary infection a secondary effect a secondary colour (= made from mixing two primary colours)
- 3 [only before noun] connected with teaching children of 11–18 years secondary teachers the secondary curriculum compare elementary, primary, tertiary Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin secundarius ‘of the second quality or class’, from secundus ‘following, second’, from the base of sequi ‘follow’.
Check pronunciation: secondary
