inferior

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 underling, junior, subordinateRelated Words attendant, follower, retainer; domestic, menial, steward; flunky (also flunkey or flunkie), henchman, lackey, minion; adjutant, aid, aide, assistant, coadjutor, deputy, second, second fiddle; helpmate, helpmeet, mate, sidekickNear Antonyms boss, captain, chief, foreman, head, headman, helmsman, kingpin, leader, master, taskmasterAntonyms senior, superior

1 situated lower down creatures that inhabit the dark, inferior depths of the ocean Synonyms lower, nether Related Words lowest, nethermost; underlying Near Antonyms highest, uppermost; overhanging, overhead Antonyms higher, superior, upper

2 of little or less value or merit a girl who has always felt inferior to her older sister Synonyms mean, minor, secondary, second-class, second-rate Related Words junior, lesser, lower, low-level, petty, smaller, subordinate, under; average, common, fair, middling, ordinary; amiss, bad, defective, unsatisfactory, wrong; deficient, inadequate, insufficient, unacceptable; littler, slighter, smaller; jerkwater, low-rent, one-horse, small-time, two-bit Near Antonyms major, more, primary, senior; choice, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, high-grade, premium, prime, select, selected; acceptable, adequate, sufficient Antonyms greater, higher, superior

3 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 baseborn, common, humble, ignoble, low, lowborn, lower-class, low-life, lowly, lumpen, mean, plebeian, prole, proletarian, unwashed, vulgarRelated Words bourgeois, middle-class; plain, poor, simple, working-class; déclassé, down-market, downscaleNear Antonyms eminent, illustrious, notable, prominentAntonyms aristocratic, blue-blooded, genteel, gentle, grand, great, high, highborn, highbred, lofty, noble, partrician, upper-class, upper-crust, wellborn

4 falling short of a standard an inferior science textbook that was out-of-date the day that it was published Synonyms bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy (also crumby), deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, bad, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, punk, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wack [slang], wanting, wretched, wrongRelated Words abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin' [slang], brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly [slang], horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky [slang], terrible, unspeakable; defective, faulty, flawed; egregious, flagrant, gross; bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy [slang], cut-rate, junky, lesser, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, reprehensible, rotten, rubbishy, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, trashy; abominable, odious, vile; useless, valueless, worthless; inadequate, insufficient, lacking, meager (or meagre), mean, miserly, niggardly, scanty, shabby, short, skimp, skimpy, spare, stingy; miscreant, scurrilous, villainous; counterfeit, fake, phony (also phoney), shamNear Antonyms classic, classical; A1, bang-up, banner, boss [slang], capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, exceptional, fabulous, fine, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous (or marvellous), mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium, prime, sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful; better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, sufficient; average, borderline, fair, mediocre, middling, minimal, so-so, unexceptional; suitable, useful, worthy; gratifying, satisfyingAntonyms acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK (or okay), passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable

5 having not so great importance or rank as another an inferior officer cannot strike a superior under any circumstances Synonyms lesser, junior, less, lower, minor, smaller, subordinateRelated Words little, mean, small; minute, petty; jerkwater, one-horse, second-class, second-rate, two-bit; associate, auxiliary, secondary, subsidiaryNear Antonyms choice, exceptional, first-class, first-rateAntonyms greater, higher, major, more, primary, prime, senior, superior, superordinate

6 of low quality inferior chocolate candy that no serious chocolate lover would think of eating Synonyms bad, bargain-basement, bum, cheapjack, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy [slang], cut-rate, el cheapo, execrable, gimcrack, cheap, junky, lousy, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, poor, rotten, rubbishy, schlock (or schlocky also shlock or shlocky), second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, terrible, trashy, trumpery, wretchedRelated Words useless, valueless, worthless; indifferent, lackluster, second-class; brummagem, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, kitsch, kitschy, meretricious, ostentatious, showy, splashy, swank (or swanky), tawdry; seedy, shabby, tacky; counterfeit, fake, phony (also phoney), sham; supercheap, ultracheapNear Antonyms elegant, handsome, tasteful; handcrafted, polished, refinedAntonyms excellent, fine, first-class, first-rate, good, high-grade, superior, top-notch