inferior

== English == === Alternative forms === inferiour (obsolete) === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin īnferior (“lower in situation or place”), comparative of īnferus (“below, underneath”). === Pronunciation === enPR: ĭnfîrēər (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪnˈfɪə.ɹi.ə/ (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): /ɪnˈfɪːɹɪjə/ (General American) IPA(key): /ɪnˈfɪɹ.i.ɚ/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ɪnˈfiə.ɹi.ə/ (Scotland) IPA(key): /ɪnˈfi.ɾe.əɾ/ (East Anglia, cheer–chair merger) IPA(key): /ɪnˈfɛːɹi.ə/ Rhymes: -ɪəɹiə(ɹ) === Adjective === inferior (comparative more inferior, superlative most inferior) (with to) Lower in rank, status, or quality. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:inferior Antonyms: see Thesaurus:superior Of low rank, standard or quality. Synonyms: awful, horrible; low-grade, low-rent; see also Thesaurus:bad, Thesaurus:low-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. Synonym: anterior (typography) Printed in subscript. (astronomy) Below the horizon. (astronomy) Nearer to the Sun than the Earth is. ==== Usage notes ==== Inferior and superior are generally followed by to; than is seen sometimes, but is viewed as wrong because than requires a grammatical comparative, not a notional one. ==== Coordinate terms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== Armenia Inferior limit inferior ==== Translations ==== === Noun === inferior (plural inferiors) A person of lower rank, stature, or ability to another. Synonyms: underling, subordinate, Antonym: superior (printing) An inferior letter, figure, or symbol. ==== Translations ==== === References === “inferior”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022. “inferior”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “inferior”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “inferior”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. === Anagrams === fire iron, fireiron == Catalan == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin īnferiōrem. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern) [iɱ.fə.ɾiˈur] IPA(key): (Balearic) [iɱ.fə.ɾiˈo] IPA(key): (Central) [iɱ.fə.ɾiˈor] IPA(key): (Valencia) [iɱ.fe.ɾiˈoɾ] IPA(key): (Northwestern) [iɱ.fe.ɾiˈor] === Adjective === inferior m or f (masculine and feminine plural inferiors) inferior lower ==== Related terms ==== inferioritat === Further reading === “inferior”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 “inferior”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026 “inferior” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua. Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “inferior”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan) == German == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin īnferior (“lower, inferior”), the comparative of īnferus (“low, nether, underground”). === Pronunciation === === Adjective === inferior (strong nominative masculine singular inferiorer, not comparable) subordinate, secondary (of people) inferior sich inferior fühlen ― to feel inferior substandard, bad ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “inferior” in Duden online “inferior”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎[1] (in German) == Latin == === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ĩːˈfɛ.ri.ɔr] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [iɱˈfɛː.ri.or] === Adjective === īnferior (comparative, neuter īnferius); third declension comparative degree of īnferus; lower in situation or place Antonym: superior subsequent, later, latter in time or succession inferior or lower in quality, rank, or number Synonym: subterior ==== Inflection ==== Third-declension comparative adjective. ==== Related terms ==== īnfimus (superlative) ==== Descendants ==== === References === “inferior”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press “inferior”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers “inferior”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette. Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎[2], London: Macmillan and Co. == Occitan == === Etymology === From Latin īnferior. === Pronunciation === === Adjective === inferior m (feminine singular inferiora, masculine plural inferiors, feminine plural inferioras) inferior lower == Portuguese == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin īnferiōrem. === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: in‧fe‧ri‧or === Adjective === inferior m or f (plural inferiores) inferior Antonym: superior === Further reading === “inferior”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from French inférieur, from Latin inferior. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˌin.fe.riˈor/ === Adjective === inferior m or n (feminine singular inferioară, masculine plural inferiori, feminine/neuter plural inferioare) inferior Antonym: superior ==== Declension ==== ==== Related terms ==== inferioritate == Spanish == === Etymology === From Latin īnferior. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /infeˈɾjoɾ/ [ĩɱ.feˈɾjoɾ] Rhymes: -oɾ Syllabification: in‧fe‧rior === Adjective === inferior m or f (masculine and feminine plural inferiores) inferior (of lower quality) inferior (of lower rank) inferior; lower (below) Synonyms: yusano (archaic), yusero (archaic), de (más) abajo Antonyms: susano (archaic), susero (archaic), de (más) arriba ==== Antonyms ==== superior ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “inferior”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025