inferior

American  

[in-feer-ee-er] / ɪnˈfɪər i ər /

adjective

1. lower in station, rank, degree, or grade (often followed byto ).

   a rank inferior to colonel.

2. lower in place or position; closer to the bottom or base.

   descending into the inferior regions of the earth.

3. of comparatively low grade; poor in quality; substandard.

   an inferior product.

   Synonyms:

   second-rate, low-quality, mediocre

4. less important, valuable, or worthy.

   B+ bonds are inferior to AAA bonds.

5. acting or performing in a way that is comparatively poor or mediocre.

   an inferior observer of human nature.

6. Botany.

   1. situated below some other organ.

   2. (of a calyx) inserted below the ovary.

   3. (of an ovary) having a superior calyx.

7. Anatomy. (of an organ or part)

   1. lower in place or position; situated beneath another.

   2. toward the feet.

8. Astronomy. lying below the horizon.

   the inferior part of a meridian.

9. Printing. written or printed low on a line of text, as the “2” in H 2 O; subscript.

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noun

• inferiors
  plural

1. a person inferior to another or others, as in rank or merit.

2. Also called subscript. Printing. a letter, number, or symbol written or printed low on a line of text.

inferior British  

/ ɪnˈfɪərɪə /

adjective

1. lower in value or quality

2. lower in rank, position, or status; subordinate

3. not of the best; mediocre; commonplace

4. lower in position; situated beneath

5. (of a plant ovary) enclosed by and fused with the receptacle so that it is situated below the other floral parts

6. astronomy

   1. orbiting or occurring between the sun and the earth

      an inferior planet

      inferior conjunction

   2. lying below the horizon

7. printing (of a character) printed at the foot of an ordinary character, as the 2 in H 2 O

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noun

1. an inferior person

2. printing an inferior character

Usage

What does inferior mean? Inferior most commonly means lesser or lower in quality or worth. Inferior is commonly applied to things that are considered not as good as other similar things, especially products. However, inferior is also used to describe how some people are treated as lesser than others. In both cases, it is the opposite of superior, meaning better. Inferior is also used in more specific ways in sciences like anatomy, botany, and astronomy to describe a low position. Example: The new, more expensive model is inferior to the old model in every way—even the packaging is not as good.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• inferiority
  noun
• quasi-inferior
  adjective
• subinferior
  adjective
• inferiorly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• inferiors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of inferior

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin, equivalent to infer(us) “lower” ( cf. under) + -ior comparative suffix

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Explanation

You might call something inferior if its quality isn't as good as another, comparable thing, like that kite that you can't get to fly no matter how fast you run back and forth while your friend's kite soars overhead. Besides "lower in quality," another meaning of the adjective inferior is "lower in rank or status," the way a corporal is inferior to a general in the Army. The word inferior can also be used as a noun to mean "a person who is lower in rank or status," in which case you might say to your younger brother, "You are my inferior, therefore you should take out the trash."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inferior inferiors

“Our cars are becoming more expensive and therefore increasingly difficult to sell, not because they have become inferior but because the rules of the game have changed.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

They contend the costs and energy demands of producing and distributing it make it inferior to batteries in almost every case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

It's hard to challenge for a title in an inferior car, and the number of drivers who can do it is limited as a result.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

"Its output is significantly inferior compared with regular batteries or car batteries," said Masayuki Nakao, engineering professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, who has known Nakagawa for years.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

There were also three magic spindles, made out of the Eden tree, and two inferior swords for Percy and Bon.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

It’s as though we, the attendees of prestige cinema, are peering down on our social inferiors, clucking condescendingly while we credit ourselves with advanced empathy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026

"Instead in those years he sat at home watching his contemporaries and intellectual inferiors on Newsnight."

From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025

Caliban gives these fellows the idea of killing Prospero and taking over the island, but they quickly reveal themselves to be his moral inferiors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2023

Jesus refused to treat women as inferiors despite living in a culture that treated them deplorably.

From New York Times ● May 12, 2018

A hundred years before Columbus, Meggers told me, they were blasted by a mega-Nino and then overrun by one of their erstwhile inferiors.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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Related Words

• indifferent
• lousy
• mediocre
• substandard

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