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inferiority - 4 dictionary results

in⋅fe⋅ri⋅or

  [in-feer-ee-er]
Use inferiority in a Sentence
–adjective
1. lower in station, rank, degree, or grade (often fol. 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.
3. of comparatively low grade; poor in quality; substandard: an inferior product.
4. less important, valuable, or worthy: B+ bonds are inferior to AAA bonds.
5. acting or performing in a way that is comparatively poor or mediocre: an inferior observer of human nature.
6. Botany.
a. situated below some other organ.
b. (of a calyx) inserted below the ovary.
c. (of an ovary) having a superior calyx.
7. Anatomy. (of an organ or part)
a. lower in place or position; situated beneath another.
b. toward the feet. Compare superior (def. 9).
8. Astronomy. lying below the horizon: the inferior part of a meridian.
9. Printing. written or printed low on a line of text, as the “2” in H2O; subscript. Compare superior (def. 10).
–noun
10. a person inferior to another or others, as in rank or merit.
11. Also called subscript. Printing. a letter, number, or symbol written or printed low on a line of text. Compare superior (def. 12).
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L, equiv. to infer(us) lower (cf. under ) + -ior comp. suffix

Related forms:
in⋅fe⋅ri⋅or⋅i⋅ty  [in-feer-ee-awr-i-tee, -or-] , noun
in⋅fe⋅ri⋅or⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
3. mediocre, low-quality, second-rate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To inferiority
in·fe·ri·or   (ĭn-fîr'ē-ər)   
adj.  
  1. Low or lower in order, degree, or rank: Captain is an inferior rank to major.
    1. Low or lower in quality, value, or estimation: inferior craft; felt inferior to his older sibling.
    2. Second-rate; poor: an inferior translation.
    3. Orbiting between Earth and the sun: Mercury is an inferior planet.
    4. Lying below the horizon.
  3. Situated under or beneath.
  4. Botany Located below the perianth and other floral parts. Used of an ovary.
  5. Anatomy Located beneath or directed downward.
  6. Printing Set below the normal line of type; subscript.
  7. Astronomy
    1. Orbiting between Earth and the sun: Mercury is an inferior planet.
    2. Lying below the horizon.
n.  
  1. A person lower in rank, status, or accomplishment than another.
  2. Printing An inferior character, such as the number 2 in CO2.

[Middle English, from Latin īnferior, comparative of īnferus, low; see dher- in Indo-European roots.]
in·fe'ri·or'i·ty (-ôr'ĭ-tē, -ŏr'-) n., in·fe'ri·or·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Inferiority

In*fe`ri*or"i*ty\, [Cf. F. inf['e]riorit['e].] The state of being inferior; a lower state or condition; as, inferiority of rank, of talents, of age, of worth.

A deep sense of our own great inferiority. --Boyle.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Main Entry: in·fe·ri·or·i·ty
Pronunciation: (")in-"fir-E-'or-&t-E, -'är-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
: a condition or state of being or having a sense of being inferior or inadequate especially with respect to one's apparent equals or to the world at large
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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