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
The rooms The rooms here were last renovated in 2017—just a hair earlier than Four Seasons One Dalton Street’s rooms, which opened in 2019, but are by no means old or inferior.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 May 2026
The quality may be inferior, but that doesn’t matter.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Internal conversations boiled down to an assessment of 30 to 33 games with Calvert-Lewin versus 37 games with an inferior striker.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 17 May 2026
Tom Scullion, who's been driving one of London's black cabs for more than 30 years, says this knowledge is what makes Google Maps inferior to a black cab driver.
—Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for inferior
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Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 May 2026
The quality may be inferior, but that doesn’t matter.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Internal conversations boiled down to an assessment of 30 to 33 games with Calvert-Lewin versus 37 games with an inferior striker.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 17 May 2026
Tom Scullion, who's been driving one of London's black cabs for more than 30 years, says this knowledge is what makes Google Maps inferior to a black cab driver.
—Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 17 May 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 22 May. 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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