inferior

[ in-feer-ee-er ]
See synonyms for: inferiorinferiorityinferiorly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. lower in station, rank, degree, or grade (often followed by to): a rank inferior to colonel.

  2. lower in place or position; closer to the bottom or base: descending into the inferior regions of the earth.

  1. of comparatively low grade; poor in quality; substandard: an inferior product.

  2. less important, valuable, or worthy: B+ bonds are inferior to AAA bonds.

  3. acting or performing in a way that is comparatively poor or mediocre: an inferior observer of human nature.

  4. Botany.

    • situated below some other organ.

    • (of a calyx) inserted below the ovary.

    • (of an ovary) having a superior calyx.

  5. Anatomy. (of an organ or part)

    • lower in place or position; situated beneath another.

    • toward the feet.: Compare superior (def. 9).

  6. Astronomy. lying below the horizon: the inferior part of a meridian.

  7. Printing. written or printed low on a line of text, as the “2” in H2O; subscript.: Compare superior (def. 10).

noun
  1. a person inferior to another or others, as in rank or merit.

  2. Also called subscript. Printing. a letter, number, or symbol written or printed low on a line of text.: Compare superior (def. 12).

Origin of inferior

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin, equivalent to infer(us) “lower” (cf. under) + -ior comparative suffix

Other words for inferior

Other words from inferior

  • in·fe·ri·or·i·ty [in-feer-ee-awr-i-tee, -or-], /ɪnˌfɪər iˈɔr ɪ ti, -ˈɒr-/, noun
  • in·fe·ri·or·ly, adverb
  • qua·si-in·fe·ri·or, adjective
  • sub·in·fe·ri·or, adjective

Words Nearby inferior

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use inferior in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inferior

inferior

/ (ɪnˈfɪərɪə) /


adjective
  1. lower in value or quality

  2. lower in rank, position, or status; subordinate

  1. not of the best; mediocre; commonplace

  2. lower in position; situated beneath

  3. (of a plant ovary) enclosed by and fused with the receptacle so that it is situated below the other floral parts

  4. astronomy

    • orbiting or occurring between the sun and the earth: an inferior planet; inferior conjunction

    • lying below the horizon

  5. printing (of a character) printed at the foot of an ordinary character, as the 2 in H 2 O

noun
  1. an inferior person

  2. printing an inferior character

Origin of inferior

1
C15: from Latin: lower, from inferus low

Derived forms of inferior

  • inferiority (ɪnˌfɪərɪˈɒrɪtɪ), noun
  • inferiorly, adverb

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