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.

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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

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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

See Examples For:

inferiority complex

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

"There was no inferiority complex from Grimsby, far from it. If anything it was the other way around."

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2025

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

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 11, 2024

Still, other projects may conjure comparisons to the story of Rosemary Woodhouse and her husband, Guy, a man who is easily duped into a Faustian bargain thanks to his single-mindedness and inferiority complex.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2023

He hated the idea of the black inferiority complex and castigated what he called the worship and idolization of the West and their ideas.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela