inferior

adjective

in·​fe·​ri·​or in-ˈfir-ē-ər How to pronounce inferior (audio)
1
: of little or less importance, value, or merit
always felt inferior to his older brother
2
a
: of low or lower degree or rank
b
: of poor quality : mediocre
3
: situated lower down : lower
4
a
: situated below another and especially another similar superior part of an upright body
b
: situated in a relatively low posterior or ventral position in a quadrupedal body
c(1)
: situated below another plant part or organ
(2)
5
: relating to or being a subscript
inferior noun
inferiority noun
inferiorly adverb

Examples of inferior in a Sentence

… the pearls were of inferior quality; they looked like pearlized globs of varying wrinkly shapes. Tracie Rozhon, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2002
Sharks, rays, and ratfishes share a special burden: these cartilaginous fishes are saddled with a reputation for being somehow inferior to vertebrates blessed with bony skeletons. Carl Zimmer, Natural History, September 2000
No longer do workers and peasants feel inferior to the university-trained. Rhea Menzel Whitehead, Saturday Review, 4 Mar. 1972
These pearls are of inferior quality. They were considered a socially inferior group. He always felt inferior around his brother. The judges voted to overturn a ruling made by an inferior court. See More
Recent Examples on the Web The defense dominated late last season against some inferior offenses and quarterbacks but nothing has been sustained. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2023 Committing to Quality The declining prices of cannabis flower in California have sparked an intense competition amongst growers, with many resorting to disguising lower quality product in attractive packaging, or creating gimmicky products — like kief powder being sprinkled on inferior flowers. Joshua Adragna, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2023 The Aztecs opened the season with a pair of wins over inferior teams, then suffered a 35-10 beating at UCLA last week. Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2023 Whether that holds true remains to be seen, since Bose said the same thing about the 700 Headphones, which proved inferior to the QC 45 model in our testing. Tim Gideon, PCMAG, 14 Sep. 2023 And Viola says that GM’s new EV supply chain seems to involve more subsidiaries, which pay less and offer inferior benefits. Caitlin Harrington, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2023 After pulverizing an inferior Portland State team last week, the No. 13 Ducks face their first legit test — and their third-toughest road matchup of the season — against the Red Raiders. Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023 But for Djokovic, falling behind two sets to none against a vastly inferior player usually just gives him a clearer sense of how far the finish line is. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2023 The idea that people of color are inferior is a lie. Sacha Baron Cohen, Time, 26 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inferior.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, comparative of inferus lower — more at under

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of inferior was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near inferior

Cite this Entry

“Inferior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inferior. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

inferior

1 of 2 adjective
in·​fe·​ri·​or
in-ˈfir-ē-ər
1
: situated lower down
2
: of low or lower degree or rank
3
: of little or less importance, value, or merit

inferior

2 of 2 noun
: an inferior person or thing

Medical Definition

inferior

adjective
in·​fe·​ri·​or in-ˈfir-ē-ər How to pronounce inferior (audio)
1
: situated below and closer to the feet than another and especially another similar part of an upright body especially of a human being compare superior sense 1
2
: situated in a more posterior or ventral position in the body of a quadruped compare superior sense 2

Legal Definition

inferior

adjective
in·​fe·​ri·​or
: of lower status, rank, or priority

More from Merriam-Webster on inferior

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!