as in subordinate
one who is of lower rank and typically under the authority of another
she is nice to her inferiors as well as to her superiors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in lower
situated lower down
creatures that inhabit the dark, inferior depths of the ocean
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minor
of little or less value or merit
a girl who has always felt inferior to her older sister
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank
at one time, the upper crust liked to believe that inferior people were fit only to be servants
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4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
an inferior science textbook that was out-of-date the day that it was published
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5
as in lesser
having not so great importance or rank as another
an inferior officer cannot strike a superior under any circumstances
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6
as in poor
of low quality
inferior chocolate candy that no serious chocolate lover would think of eating
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inferior
Madison Dapcevich, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2025
While North Korea’s naval forces are considered far inferior to those of its rivals, analysts say the destroyer with nuclear-capable missiles and an advanced radar system would still enhance the North’s offensive and defensive capabilities.
—Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
If college sports morph into inferior versions of the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB and other major pro leagues, college teams run the risk of resembling minor league squads that would generate much less revenue.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 June 2025
While North Korea's naval forces are widely seen as far inferior to those of its rivals, analysts say a destroyer equipped with modern missile and radar systems could still boost the North's offensive and defensive capabilities.
—Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inferior
Adjective
Four types of green flashes are recorded in the Farmer’s Almanac, which the American periodical describes as inferior mirage, mock mirage, subduct flashes, and green ray.
—Madison Dapcevich, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2025
While North Korea’s naval forces are considered far inferior to those of its rivals, analysts say the destroyer with nuclear-capable missiles and an advanced radar system would still enhance the North’s offensive and defensive capabilities.
—Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
If college sports morph into inferior versions of the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB and other major pro leagues, college teams run the risk of resembling minor league squads that would generate much less revenue.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 June 2025
While North Korea's naval forces are widely seen as far inferior to those of its rivals, analysts say a destroyer equipped with modern missile and radar systems could still boost the North's offensive and defensive capabilities.
—Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inferior
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inferior
Noun
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Sheinbaum defended the banks' ties to Chinese clients as part of a legitimate trade relationship and warned the U.S. against treating Mexico as a subordinate.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
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Bea and Patience carry the show, while the rest of the ensemble is just sort of there, not really adding much, aside from Bea’s obnoxious and bigoted subordinate (played by Nathan Welsh) who is dismissive and sneering about Patience, both to her face and behind her back.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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And ultimately, the Supreme Court overruled those lower court rulings and did declare the embryos as children qualifying under the wrongful death statute.—
Dana Taylor,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2024
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Lower gas demand amid increasing supply has led to lower pump prices.—
Frank Witsil,
Detroit Free Press,
19 June 2023
Adjective
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Show more And on Monday, hospital staff accomplished a minor medical feat: doctors birthed triplets in a cesarean section procedure that the delivering physician said would have been complicated and risky even in the best of times.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
20 June 2025
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There were some minor disadvantages to this method, Boyle admits, mostly due to Apple’s user-friendly camera software.—
Jake Kleinman,
Wired News,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Does the Trump administration really want to sink that low?—
Louis Balsamo,
Baltimore Sun,
25 June 2025
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Al Bello/Getty Images Outside of the Giants' organization, expectations are low.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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In April 2021, the European Commission proposed a draft of the Artificial Intelligence Act, aimed at introducing a system of AI classification based on risks to users (minimal, limited, high, unacceptable).—
Olena Orliuk,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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Anything less is unacceptable to the Bosteros, as Boca’s fans are known.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Toronto’s Fred VanVleet appears to be the top target, but Miami’s Kyle Lowry, Utah’s Mike Conley and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier have been linked to the team at various points.—
Staff Writer
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2023
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The story of 2022 (and 2021 to a lesser extent) was energy.—
Nicole Goodkind,
CNN,
31 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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First touch poor, always wants to go on the inside and thought overall not great.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
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For example, when a company pivots, a poor communicator’s vague memo creates fear.—
Lori Huss,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Yosemite Hospitality's overall rating is mean to identify the areas needed for improvement, and NPS did not state if the contract would be terminated.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
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Similarly, the mean costs associated with traveling to access care rose from $179 pre-ban to $372 post-ban.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inferior.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inferior. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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