inferiority complex
Americannoun
noun
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:
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.
“There’s so many people that have an inferiority complex about, ‘We’re the University of Houston.’
From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2024
The public extended the idea of an inferiority complex to adults, too, and connected it with Napoleon’s historically contested stature.
From National Geographic • Nov. 22, 2023
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
"Our inferiority complex is high. No wonder the park where the couple met their death is named after a British Queen," another X user said.
From BBC • Oct. 27, 2023
The inferiority complex, he affirmed, was the greatest barrier to liberation.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
![]()
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.