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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Early on, Pitt’s Sonny Hayes makes intentional contact with other cars and the barriers to purposely bring out the safety car to help teammate Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris, get the inferior APXGP car closer to the pack on restarts. Maury Brown, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025 The court ruled 6-3 in finding that the task force members are inferior officers, whose appointment by the head of Health and Human Services is consistent with the Constitution's Appointments Clause. June 27, CBS News, 27 June 2025 Under that clause, only principal officers, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, or inferior officers under those principal officers, can set such policies. ArsTechnica, 27 June 2025 And they were made to think of themselves as essentially inferior. Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 21 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for inferior

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

Cite this Entry

“Inferior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inferior. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

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

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