inferiority
Americannoun
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the quality or state of being lesser or lower in rank, position, quality, etc..
Negative perceptions about the inferiority of generic drugs compared to brand name drugs were more pronounced among some segments of the studied population.
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the quality or state of feeling less important, valuable, or worthy.
The youth center was founded on the belief that youth violence is a product of various social and economic factors that contribute to feelings of inferiority, powerlessness, and hopelessness.
Etymology
Origin of inferiority
First recorded in 1580–90; inferior ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )
Explanation
Inferiority is the quality of being worse than other things or people. You know how some movies are terrible — inferior — compared to other movies? You've noticed the inferiority of those films. Inferiority is a quality possessed by people and things that are not as good as others. To a king, the common people are defined by their inferiority. Most people agree on the inferiority of a TV dinner to a home-cooked meal. When someone feels like they are always worse off than others, they have an inferiority complex. Inferiority is the opposite of superiority.
Vocabulary lists containing inferiority
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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The Catcher in the Rye
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Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s an inferiority complex tempered by innovative breakthroughs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
To equate discomfort and or brief awkwardness with artistic inferiority is a losing game for those who claim to love movies.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
In the first few weeks of the war we have seen how Iran has managed its tactical and materiel inferiority to some effect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
It was more sweat than style, but still not enough to make up for the glaring inferiority and inadequacies of the first half.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026
And in racial issues, wrote Du Bois, “Mr. Washington’s programme practically accepts the alleged inferiority of the Negro races.”
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
