inferior

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.

The first records of inferior come from the 1400s. It derives from the Latin inferus, meaning “low.” The suffix -ior is used to form comparative adjectives (as in ulterior and junior).

The specific meaning of inferior often depends on what it’s applied to. If a product is inferior to another one, it means it’s not as good. If a device has inferior battery life, it means its battery doesn’t last as long as other devices. If a team is said to have inferior talent, it means it has less talent than other teams. If a soldier’s rank is inferior to another soldier, it means it is lower.

When inferior is applied to people, especially classes or groups of people, it is being used in an offensive way. When people treat other people as inferior, it means they are judging them on some aspect of their identity that they consider lesser than their own. Racists treat people as inferior based on the color of their skin—and consider themselves superior.

When used in a scientific context, inferior often has a specific meaning related to the position of something. In anatomy, inferior is used to describe a body part that is located in a lower position or, even more specifically, toward the feet. In botany, it is used in much the same way, except of course that it refers to plant parts. In astronomy, describing something as inferior indicates that it is below the horizon.

What are some other forms related to inferior?

• inferiority (noun)
• inferiorly (adjective)
• quasi-inferior (adjective)
• subinferior (adjective)

What are some synonyms for inferior?

• lesser
• substandard
• worse
• poor
• mediocre
• lower

What are some words that share a root or word element with inferior? 

• superior
• infernal
• inferno
• junior

What are some words that often get used in discussing inferior?

• product
• comparison
• quality
• characteristic
• race
• treat

Inferior is commonly used in the comparison of two things to state that one of them is of lower quality than the other, such as by customers unhappy with their purchases. It is also used to describe how certain groups are treated as lesser than others.

Green apples are inferior to red apples

— Trev Exotic (@trevorwschnell) March 7, 2020

The Walking Dead is so inferior to Game Of Thrones

— garrett (@Maplestree16) September 1, 2017

In Nazi Germany, Jews felt the effects of more than 400 decrees that restricted all aspects of their public and private lives. Even from their earliest moments of life, Jews were labeled and treated as inferior by the Nazi regime. On the park bench is a J for Jew. #AskWhy pic.twitter.com/5o4grTh4ie

— US Holocaust Museum (@HolocaustMuseum) February 8, 2018

Is inferior used correctly in the following sentence?

If we keep releasing inferior products that aren’t up to our normal standards, our customers are going to notice.