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

Etymology

Origin of inferior

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

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

Senna won the title in 1991 in a McLaren that was inferior to the Williams FW14 being driven by Mansell, although the Williams suffered significant reliability problems that helped him.

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

Work done with anxiety about results is far inferior to work done without such anxiety, in the calm of self-surrender.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

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

Despite the vast social gap between the nobility and commoners, many nobles were perfectly happy to form working relationships with useful social inferiors, and in some cases real friendships emerged in the process.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020

He rolled along with every inexplicable order from his superiors, every foolish act of his inferiors, and every abrasive personality that military life could throw at an officer.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• indifferent
• lousy
• mediocre
• substandard