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Definition of "inferior" []

  • Low or lower in order, degree, or rank: Captain is an inferior rank to major. (adjective)
  • Low or lower in quality, value, or estimation: inferior craft; felt inferior to his older sibling. (adjective)
  • Second-rate; poor: an inferior translation. (adjective)
  • Situated under or beneath. (adjective)
  • Botany Located below the perianth and other floral parts. Used of an ovary. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "inferior" in a sentence
  • "“I had the honour,” wrote Gulliver solemnly of Lilliput, “to be a Nardac, which the Treasurer himself is not; for, as all the world knows, he is only a Clumglum, a title inferior by one degree….”"
  • "John Bright, a noted English statesman, said: "If children at school can be made to understand how it is just and noble to be humane even to what we term inferior animals, it will do much to give them a higher character and tone through life.""
  • "At an industry conference, Rock also lambasted radio types for investing in digital audio broadcasting DAB radio, which he described as "inferior quality" and "more expensive" than an old-fashioned analogue wireless."