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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
an inferior science textbook that was out-of-date the day that it was published
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in lesser
having not so great importance or rank as another
an inferior officer cannot strike a superior under any circumstances
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in poor
of low quality
inferior chocolate candy that no serious chocolate lover would think of eating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of inferior
Nino Paoli, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
More to Explore By documenting lushly hirsute Japanese officials alongside their beardless counterparts, portraiture preserved a photographic record of colonial subjects’ visibly inferior status.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 13 Sep. 2025
As with many imitations, attempting to replicate something often results in an inferior copy.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Rewatching is its own cultural activity, not necessarily inferior or redundant.
—Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inferior
Adjective
But compared to the vast amount of data available to open-source models, in-house applications will always have inferior answers, Emmert said.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
More to Explore By documenting lushly hirsute Japanese officials alongside their beardless counterparts, portraiture preserved a photographic record of colonial subjects’ visibly inferior status.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 13 Sep. 2025
As with many imitations, attempting to replicate something often results in an inferior copy.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Rewatching is its own cultural activity, not necessarily inferior or redundant.
—Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inferior
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inferior
Noun
-
Put simply, the theory says the president should be able to issue orders to subordinates and to fire them at will.—
Graham G. Dodds,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The third-term sheriff is accused of repeatedly harassing his female subordinates and threatening his chief deputy to keep it quiet.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Lower gas demand amid increasing supply has led to lower pump prices.—
Frank Witsil,
Detroit Free Press,
19 June 2023
Adjective
-
Russell’s crash in 2023 showed that a minor mistake can wipe you off the podium.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
In susceptible people, the immune system reacts too strongly to minor exposures, creating chronic inflammation.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
For instance, if both people are eligible but one earned more, collect the lower amount first to have some cash.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Other Republicans — especially in the House — see it as an unacceptable expansion of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, which Republicans have tried to eliminate or cut back since it was enacted 15 years ago.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Even lesser-scale incidents like the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal and the Volkswagen emissions scandal erode trust in the institutions that help make our society possible and push it forward.—
Lindsey Witmer Collins,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
My adolescent cells floated away from poor me and traded places with his.—
Betty Gilpin,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Women disproportionately suffer chronic disease, on average spend 25% more time in poor health than men, and, on average, experience the final 12 to 14 years of their lives in frail health.—
Maria Shriver,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Get a lean, mean cleaning machine for less thanks to these Prime Big Deal Days robot vacuum and mop deals that are still available.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Given that context, HD may offer a favorable risk-reward setup for a mean-reverting bounce.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inferior.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inferior. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share