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/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɪɹ.i.ɚ/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪəɹiə(ɹ)

Adjective

inferior (comparative more inferior, superlative most inferior)

1. Lower in rank, status, or quality.

   Anna had always felt inferior to her brother due to poor school grades.

   The pathological liar was morally inferior to his much nicer constituents.

   • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Preface”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     Whether they are equal or inferior to my other poems, an author is the most improper judge.

   1. Of low rank, standard or quality.

      an inferior officer

   2. (law) (of a court or tribunal) Susceptible to having its decisions overturned by a higher court.
   3. (economics) Denoting goods or services which are in greater demand during a recession than in a boom, for example second-hand clothes.
2. Located below:
   2. (anatomy) Situated further below (another part of the body), a direction that in humans corresponds to caudad.
   3. (zoology) Situated in a relatively low posterior or ventral position in a quadrupedal body.
   4. (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).
   5. (botany) On the side of a flower which is next to the bract.

      Synonym: anterior

   6. (typography) Printed in subscript.

      an inferior figure or letter

   7. (astronomy) Below the horizon.

      the inferior part of a meridian

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

   the inferior or interior planets; an inferior conjunction of Mercury or Venus

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.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:bad

Antonyms

• superior

Coordinate terms

• (dentistry location adjectives) anterior,‎ apical,‎ apicocoronal,‎ axial,‎ buccal,‎ buccoapical,‎ buccocervical,‎ buccogingival,‎ buccolabial,‎ buccolingual,‎ bucco-occlusal,‎ buccopalatal,‎ cervical,‎ coronal,‎ coronoapical,‎ distal,‎ distoapical,‎ distobuccal,‎ distocervical,‎ distocoronal,‎ distofacial,‎ distogingival,‎ distoincisal,‎ distolingual,‎ disto-occlusal,‎ distoclusal,‎ distocclusal,‎ distopalatal,‎ facial,‎ gingival,‎ incisal,‎ incisocervical,‎ inferior,‎ labial,‎ lingual,‎ linguobuccal,‎ linguo-occlusal,‎ mandibular,‎ maxillary,‎ mesial,‎ mesioapical,‎ mesiobuccal,‎ mesiocervical,‎ mesiocoronal,‎ mesiodistal,‎ mesiofacial,‎ mesioincisal,‎ mesiogingival,‎ mesiolingual,‎ mesio-occlusal,‎ mesioclusal,‎ mesiocclusal,‎ mesiopalatal,‎ occlusal,‎ palatal,‎ posterior,‎ proximal,‎ superior,‎ vestibular ^{(Category: en:Dentistry) [edit]}

Derived terms

• anterior inferior cerebellar artery
• anteroinferior
• inferior alveolar artery
• inferior alveolar nerve
• inferior cervical ganglion
• inferior colliculus
• inferior court
• inferior dental artery
• inferior ganglion
• inferior good
• inferiority
• inferiorize
• inferior laryngeal artery
• inferior laryngeal nerve
• inferiorly
• inferior mesenteric artery
• inferiormost
• inferior nasal concha
• inferiorness
• inferior oblique
• inferior oblique muscle
• inferior orbital fissure
• inferior petrosal sinus
• inferior pharyngeal constrictor
• inferior planet
• inferior rectus
• inferior sagittal sinus
• inferior thyroid artery
• inferior vena cava
• infero-
• lateroinferior
• noninferior
• posterior inferior cerebellar artery
• posteroinferior
• superoinferior

 

Related terms

• Armenia Inferior
• limit inferior

Translations

of lower quality

• Bashkir: ҡайтыш (qaytış), кәм (kəm)
• Bhojpuri: नीच (nīc)
• Bulgarian: нискокачествен (niskokačestven)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 低劣 (zh) (dīliè)

• Czech: podřadný
• Finnish: huonompi (fi), huono (fi), kehno (fi)
• Galician: inferior (gl)
• Georgian: დაბალხარისხოვანი (dabalxarisxovani), დაბალხარისხიანი (dabalxarisxiani)
• Hindi: नीच (hi) (nīc)
• Italian: inferiore (it)
• Japanese: 劣る (ja) (otoru)
• Latin: secundārius
• Polish: podrzędny (pl), pośledni (pl)
• Portuguese: inferior (pt)
• Romanian: inferior (ro)
• Russian: ху́дший (ru) (xúdšij)
• Sanskrit: अनार्य (sa) (anārya)
• Spanish: inferior (es)
• Swedish: undermålig (sv)
• Turkish: aşağı derecede olan
• Ukrainian: гірший (hiršyj)

of lower rank

• Bulgarian: по-нисш (po-nisš), подчинен (bg) (podčinen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 低賤 / 低贱 (zh) (dījiàn)

• Czech: méněcenný (cs)
• Danish: underordnet (da)
• Esperanto: malsupra
• Finnish: alempiarvoinen (fi), alempi (fi)
• French: inférieur (fr)
• Galician: inferior (gl)
• Georgian: დაქვემდებარებული (dakvemdebarebuli), დამორჩილებული (damorčilebuli)
• German: untergeordnet (de), nachgeordnet (de), unterlegen (de)
• Greek: κατώτερος (el) (katóteros)
• Italian: inferiore (it)
• Japanese: 賎しい (ja) (iyashii), 下級の (ja) (kakyū no), 下賎な (ja) (gesen na)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: mindreverdig

  Nynorsk: mindreverdig

• Romanian: inferior (ro)
• Russian: нижестоя́щий (ru) (nižestojáščij), подчинённый (ru) (podčinjónnyj), мла́дший (ru) (mládšij) ("junior", of army, police officers), ни́зший (ru) (nízšij)
• Spanish: inferior (es)
• Swedish: underordnad (sv)
• Ukrainian: підлеглий (pidlehlyj)
• Walloon: dizotrin (wa)

located below

• Armenian: ստորին (hy) (storin)
• Bulgarian: долен (bg) (dolen)
• Finnish: alempi (fi), alhaisempi (fi)
• French: inférieur (fr)
• Galician: inferior (gl)
• Georgian: ქვედა (kveda)
• German: tiefer (de)
• Greek: κάτω (el) (káto)
• Italian: inferiore (it)
• Romanian: inferior (ro)
• Russian: ни́жний (ru) (nížnij)
• Spanish: inferior (es)
• Ukrainian: нижній (nyžnij)
• Walloon: dizotrin (wa)

inside the flower stalk

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} malsupera

Noun

inferior (plural inferiors)

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

   Antonym: superior

   As you are my inferior, I can tell you to do anything I want.

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

Translations

person of lower status

• Bulgarian: подчинен (bg) m (podčinen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 下屬 / 下属 (zh) (xiàshǔ)

• Czech: podřízený (cs)
• Danish: underordnet (da)
• Finnish: alempiarvoinen (fi)
• French: inférieur (fr)
• Galician: inferior (gl), subordinado
• Greek: υφιστάμενος (el) m or f (yfistámenos)
• Italian: inferiore (it) m, di basso rango
• Japanese: 賎 (ja) (shizu), 下っ端 (ja) (shitappa), 目下 (ja) (meshita)
• Russian: подчинённый (ru) m (podčinjónnyj)
• Spanish: inferior (es)
• Ukrainian: підле́глий m (pidléhlyj), підле́гла f (pidléhla)
• Welsh: adlaw m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 下等 (zh) (xiàděng)

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} inferieur (nl)
• German: ^{(please verify)} minderwertig (de)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 열등한 (yeoldeunghan)
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} inferior m or f, ^{(please verify)} inferius n

References

• “inferior”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “inferior”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “inferior”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “inferior”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• fire iron, fireiron

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īnferiōrem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [iɱ.fə.ɾiˈor]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [iɱ.fə.ɾiˈo]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [iɱ.fe.ɾiˈoɾ]

Adjective

inferior m or f (masculine and feminine plural inferiors)

1. inferior
2. lower

Related terms

• inferioritat

Further reading

• “inferior” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “inferior”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “inferior” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “inferior” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īnferior (“lower, inferior”), the comparative of īnferus (“low, nether, underground”).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

inferior (strong nominative masculine singular inferiorer, not comparable)

1. subordinate, secondary
2. (of people) inferior

   sich inferior fühlen ― to feel inferior

3. substandard, bad

Declension

Positive forms of inferior (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist inferior	sie ist inferior	es ist inferior	sie sind inferior
strong declension (without article)	nominative	inferiorer	inferiore	inferiores	inferiore
	genitive	inferioren	inferiorer	inferioren	inferiorer
	dative	inferiorem	inferiorer	inferiorem	inferioren
	accusative	inferioren	inferiore	inferiores	inferiore
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der inferiore	die inferiore	das inferiore	die inferioren
	genitive	des inferioren	der inferioren	des inferioren	der inferioren
	dative	dem inferioren	der inferioren	dem inferioren	den inferioren
	accusative	den inferioren	die inferiore	das inferiore	die inferioren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein inferiorer	eine inferiore	ein inferiores	(keine) inferioren
	genitive	eines inferioren	einer inferioren	eines inferioren	(keiner) inferioren
	dative	einem inferioren	einer inferioren	einem inferioren	(keinen) inferioren
	accusative	einen inferioren	eine inferiore	ein inferiores	(keine) inferioren

Further reading

• “inferior” in Duden online
• “inferior” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /inˈfe.ri.or/, [ĩːˈfɛriɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /inˈfe.ri.or/, [iɱˈfɛːrior]

Adjective

īnferior (comparative, neuter īnferius); third declension

1. comparative degree of īnferus; lower in situation or place
   1. Subsequent, later, latter in time or succession
   2. Inferior or lower in quality, rank, or number
      • 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 4.861–862:

        et quotiēns steterīs domitō sublīmis in orbe,
        omnia sint numerīs īnferiōra tuīs.

        And whenever you will stand exalted for having conquered the world,
        may everything be lower than your shoulders!
        (The poet foretells the eventual dominion of the Roman Empire now that Romulus has founded the city of Rome.)

Inflection

Third-declension comparative adjective.

	singular			plural
	masc./fem.	neuter		masc./fem.	neuter
nominative	īnferior	īnferius		īnferiōrēs	īnferiōra
genitive	īnferiōris			īnferiōrum
dative	īnferiōrī			īnferiōribus
accusative	īnferiōrem	īnferius		īnferiōrēs īnferiōrīs	īnferiōra
ablative	īnferiōre īnferiōrī			īnferiōribus
vocative	īnferior	īnferius		īnferiōrēs	īnferiōra

Related terms

• īnfimus (superlative)

Descendants

Descendants

• → Catalan: inferior
• → English: inferior
• → French: inférieur
• → Galician: inferior
• → Italian: inferiore
• → Occitan: inferior
• → Portuguese: inferior
• → Spanish: inferior

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^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • later writers: scriptores aetate posteriores or inferiores
    
  • to gain a weak case by clever pleading: causam inferiorem dicendo reddere superiorem (λόγον κρείττω ποιειν) (Brut. 8. 30)
    
  • to be defeated in fight, lose the battle: proelio vinci, superari, inferiorem, victum discedere
    
  • to come off victorious: superiorem (opp. inferiorem), victorem (proelio, pugna) discedere
    

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin īnferior.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Adjective

inferior m (feminine singular inferiora, masculine plural inferiors, feminine plural inferioras)

1. inferior
2. lower

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īnferiōrem.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fe.ɾiˈoʁ/ [ĩ.fe.ɾɪˈoh], (faster pronunciation) /ĩ.feˈɾjoʁ/ [ĩ.feˈɾjoh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fe.ɾiˈoʁ/ [ĩ.fe.ɾɪˈoh], (faster pronunciation) /ĩ.feˈɾjoʁ/ [ĩ.feˈɾjoh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fe.ɾiˈoɾ/ [ĩ.fe.ɾɪˈoɾ], (faster pronunciation) /ĩ.feˈɾjoɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fe.ɾiˈoʁ/ [ĩ.fe.ɾɪˈoχ], (faster pronunciation) /ĩ.feˈɾjoʁ/ [ĩ.feˈɾjoχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fe.ɾiˈoɻ/ [ĩ.fe.ɾɪˈoɻ], (faster pronunciation) /ĩ.feˈɾjoɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fɨˈɾjoɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fɨˈɾjoɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fɨˈɾjo.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: in‧fe‧ri‧or

Adjective

inferior m or f (plural inferiores)

1. inferior

   Antonym: superior

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 and neuter plural inferioare)

1. inferior

   Antonym: superior

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	inferior		inferioară		inferiori	inferioare
	definite	inferiorul		inferioara		inferiorii	inferioarele
genitive- dative	indefinite	inferior		inferioare		inferiori	inferioare
	definite	inferiorului		inferioarei		inferiorilor	inferioarelor

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)

1. inferior (of lower quality)
2. inferior (of lower rank)
3. inferior; lower (below)
   • 20 August 2023, Jordi Quixano, “España se hace inmortal con la conquista de su primer Mundial femenino”, in El País‎^[2]:

     España derribó la puerta de la eternidad para hacerse inmortal, para ponerse el laurel de oro y diamantes, para significarse al fin como la mejor del mundo, cosa que llevaba años haciendo en las categorías inferiores.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Antonyms

• superior

Derived terms

• anteroinferior
• inferiormente
• límite inferior
• parte inferior
• paso inferior
• posteroinferior
• vena cava inferior

 

Related terms

• inferioridad

 

Further reading

• “inferior”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10