inferiority complex

American  

[in-feer-ee-awr-i-tee kom-pleks, -or-] / ɪnˌfɪər iˈɔr ɪ ti ˌkɒm plɛks, -ˈɒr- /

noun

Psychology.

1. an intense feeling of inferiority or inadequacy; low self-esteem, sometimes characterized by compensatory behaviors intended to bolster self-confidence.

---

inferiority complex British  

noun

1. psychiatry a disorder arising from the conflict between the desire to be noticed and the fear of being humiliated, characterized by aggressiveness or withdrawal into oneself

---

Etymology

Origin of inferiority complex

First recorded in 1920–25

Compare meaning

How does inferiority-complex compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• superiority complex vs. inferiority complex

Example Sentences

Underlying all that is the fragile ego of a state whose outward brassiness is often a cover for an inferiority complex stoked by its glittering neighbor.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

While reigning champions Canada rank second in the world, there is no reason for Britain to have an inferiority complex.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2024

“There’s so many people that have an inferiority complex about, ‘We’re the University of Houston.’

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2024

The show had unwittingly uncovered a national inferiority complex the Melbourne writer A.A.

From New York Times • Jul. 11, 2023

To modern eyes, the puzzle is not that this should have occurred, but that it should have taken so long for people to lose their inferiority complex.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin