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

But more importantly, he's changed the perception around a team that had always been known for an inferiority complex that held them back in the past.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2025

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

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

From New York Times ● Jul. 11, 2023

His name was Bob Robinson and he really had an inferiority complex.

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger