inferior

noun

A person of lower rank, stature, or ability to another.

(printing) An inferior letter, figure, or symbol.

adjective

(with to) Lower in rank, status, or quality.

Of low rank, standard or quality.

(law) (of a court or tribunal) Susceptible to having its decisions overturned by a higher court.

(economics) Denoting goods or services which are in greater demand during a recession than in a boom, for example second-hand clothes.

Located below:

(anatomy) Situated further below (another part of the body), a direction that in humans corresponds to caudad.

(zoology) Situated in a relatively low posterior or ventral position in a quadrupedal body.

(botany) Situated below some other organ (said of a calyx when free from the ovary, and therefore below it, or of an ovary with an adherent and therefore inferior calyx).

(botany) On the side of a flower which is next to the bract.

(typography) Printed in subscript.

(astronomy) Below the horizon.

(astronomy) Nearer to the Sun than the Earth is.

Roots

inferusinfer- · Latin · low, below

Synonyms for inferior

substandardadj deficientadj mediocreadj shoddyadj understrapper unworthyadj lesseradj crummyadj inadequateadj incompetentadj middlingadj worthlessadj

Synonyms & related words for inferior

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of inferior — including substandard, deficient, mediocre, shoddy, understrapper, unworthy. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to inferior

Explore words related to inferior — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include coarsened, outclassed, superior, subpar, crappier, inferiority, poorer, superiorly. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for inferior

Common synonyms for inferior include substandard, deficient, mediocre, shoddy, understrapper, unworthy, lesser, crummy — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does inferior come from?

The word inferior breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root infer-, from Latin inferus (“low, below”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.