inferior
inferior Lexical Profile
inferior Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Of lower quality, value, or standard than something else; mediocre or unsatisfactory.
"The contractor cut costs by using inferior building materials that deteriorated within a year."
Lower in rank, status, authority, or importance.
"A decision made by an inferior court can be overturned by the appellate court."
In anatomy and botany, situated below another structure or directed toward the feet or lower part of the body.
"The inferior vena cava carries deoxygenated blood from the lower half of the body back to the heart."
• noun
A person who is lower than another in rank, social status, or ability.
"He was widely disliked for treating his colleagues as social inferiors."
Word Nuance & Usage
Because 'inferior' derives from a Latin comparative, it takes the preposition 'to' rather than 'than' in comparisons (e.g., 'inferior to the original,' not 'inferior than').
• Rhymes for inferior
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Latin 'inferior' ('lower'), the comparative form of 'inferus' ('low, below').