inferior
adjective
in·fe·ri·or
in-ˈfir-ē-ər 
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.
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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
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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
Phrases Containing inferior
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Cite this Entry
“Inferior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inferior. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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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
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
Nglish: Translation of inferior for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of inferior for Arabic Speakers
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