inferior 1 of 2

Definition of inferiornext
1
as in lower
situated lower down creatures that inhabit the dark, inferior depths of the ocean

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
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falling short of a standard an inferior science textbook that was out-of-date the day that it was published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

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6

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
Noun
That comes to the Philippines in the form of war, as well as through the invocation, or establishment, of American-style modes of government and education that place Filipinos along this racial hierarchy, identifying them as these inferiors that need to be taught how to govern themselves. Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Uruguay failed to beat Saudi Arabia or Cape Verde — two teams that, on paper, seemed inferior at the start of the tournament. Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026 Uruguay tied again, this time a 2-2 stalemate against another adversary that less than two weeks ago, pretty much every soccer pundit would have deemed inferior. Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for inferior
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inferior
Noun
  • Mayor Dean Trantalis, Commissioner Steven Glassman and Commissioner John Herbst took issue with her leadership, accusing her of being dismissive to subordinates and ruffling too many feathers.
    Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
  • 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, 30 June 2026
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
  • On Thursday, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Ramon with lewd and lascivious acts on a minor, police said.
    Jason Green, Mercury News, 10 July 2026
  • Many of those convicted committed only minor offenses, such as traffic violations, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
    Mathew Miranda July 9, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
Adjective
  • The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.
    Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Locally heavy rain will quickly reduce visibility and result in ponding of water on roadways, standing water in low lying areas, and minor flooding of creeks, streams, and areas of poor drainage.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2026
Adjective
  • Democrats have called it an unacceptable gift from a foreign government that is barred by the Constitution, as what is called an emolument.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • Should England go on to win their quarterfinal or entire tournament, their run will be tainted by this scandal, forever laden with an asterisk over this unacceptable atrocity.
    Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 July 2026
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
  • Overflowing poor drainage areas in urban areas of northwest Hickory and in the Northlakes area of Caldwell County.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
  • There was a lot of poor decision-making with this match, on and off the pitch.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Adjective
  • All this whining about online hate and fans being mean and blah, blah, blah.
    Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
  • This doesn’t relate to AI replacing jobs, but rather, an increase in the number of enterprise launches accomplished in a leaner-and-meaner fashion than ever before.
    Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Inferior.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inferior. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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