secondhand
16
4.0
- adjective
- /ˈsɛkəndˌhænd/
:
de oídas
- She often dismisses secondhand accounts as unreliable compared to firsthand experiences.
- secondhand account
- secondhand information
- secondhand smoke
Oh my Lord, the secondhand embarrassment.
- Oh my Lord, the secondhand embarrassment.
Examples
-
This is all secondhand information.
-
Thus, knowledge of people and events was secondhand and rudimentary at best.
Academic text (1999) -
Most had only secondhand knowledge, but a few women wrote of seeing for themselves.
Fiction book (1991) -
Besides which, whatever he says will be secondhand.
-
I don't pay much attention to what I hear secondhand.
-
Some even relied on secondhand versions, such as narratives of an intimate friend.
Academic text (1996) -
Together, Dr. Heffernan and O'Neill will study the effects of secondhand smoke and the brain.
Blog text (31) -
Health experts have not publicized the fact that numerous children grow up inhaling secondhand smoke.
Academic text (1992) -
Foremost, sailors have been left exposed to secondhand smoke while deployed, compromising their safety and health.
Academic text (2011) -
I prefer to get my news from direct sources rather than relying on secondhand reports.
Synonyms
38
7.7
Information from other people rather than from direct experience
5
3.3
Information received through another person rather than directly
Antonyms
Compounds
How Direct
574
1.0
235
3.2
- Formal
16
4.0
- Specialized
38
7.7
- US
74
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Secondhand comes from the parts second and hand, with first-hand meaning 'direct' or 'from the person involved', so secondhand means 'heard from someone else'. So, secondhand information is not direct and comes through another person.