I. ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ adjective
Etymology: first (I) + rate
1. : of the first order of size or importance
a first-rate blunder
the temptation to rush into print … resulted in a first-rate headache — Newsweek
a first-rate power
a book of first-rate significance
2. : of the first order of quality : extremely good : excellent , admirable
none of those ancestors of his was ever first-rate, not one — Hamilton Basso
first-rate entertainment
a first-rate book
• first-rate·ly adverb
• first-rate·ness noun -es
II. adverb
: very well : quite well
have not felt first-rate myself — Walt Whitman
the fan worked first-rate — Marquis James