inferior
adjective
in·fe·ri·or
in-ˈfir-ē-ər 
Examples of inferior in a Sentence
… the pearls were of inferior quality; they looked like pearlized globs of varying wrinkly shapes.
—
Tracie Rozhon, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2002
Sharks, rays, and ratfishes share a special burden: these cartilaginous fishes are saddled with a reputation for being somehow inferior to vertebrates blessed with bony skeletons.
—Carl Zimmer, Natural History, September 2000
No longer do workers and peasants feel inferior to the university-trained.
—Rhea Menzel Whitehead, Saturday Review, 4 Mar. 1972
These pearls are of inferior quality.
They were considered a socially inferior group.
He always felt inferior around his brother.
The judges voted to overturn a ruling made by an inferior court.
Tracie Rozhon, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2002
Sharks, rays, and ratfishes share a special burden: these cartilaginous fishes are saddled with a reputation for being somehow inferior to vertebrates blessed with bony skeletons.
—Carl Zimmer, Natural History, September 2000
No longer do workers and peasants feel inferior to the university-trained.
—Rhea Menzel Whitehead, Saturday Review, 4 Mar. 1972
These pearls are of inferior quality.
They were considered a socially inferior group.
He always felt inferior around his brother.
The judges voted to overturn a ruling made by an inferior court.
Recent Examples on the Web
They were normally injured, inferior and underachieving.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
The theory of the great replacement is that elites, or, depending on who told the story, Jews (not commonly a direct target of VDARE), have invited nonwhite immigrants with inferior bloodlines into white- dominated Western countries to weaken them and absorb more power for themselves.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
So too is ensuring that college sports are qualitatively different—and more marketable—from inferior versions of pro leagues.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 Apr. 2026
To make Caltrans go from one of the nation’s most inferior Departments of Transportation to one of the finest; moving the second worst roads to somewhere in the middle of the pack.
—John Moorlach, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inferior
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Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
The theory of the great replacement is that elites, or, depending on who told the story, Jews (not commonly a direct target of VDARE), have invited nonwhite immigrants with inferior bloodlines into white- dominated Western countries to weaken them and absorb more power for themselves.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
So too is ensuring that college sports are qualitatively different—and more marketable—from inferior versions of pro leagues.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 Apr. 2026
To make Caltrans go from one of the nation’s most inferior Departments of Transportation to one of the finest; moving the second worst roads to somewhere in the middle of the pack.
—John Moorlach, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inferior
Cite this Entry
“Inferior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inferior. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
inferior
adjective
in·fe·ri·or
in-ˈfir-ē-ər
1
: situated below and closer to the feet than another and especially another similar part of an upright body especially of a human being compare superior sense 1
2
: situated in a more posterior or ventral position in the body of a quadruped compare superior sense 2
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