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Definitions

inferior

[in-feer-ee-er] / ɪnˈfɪər i ər /
ADJECTIVE
less in rank, importance
Synonyms
STRONGEST
lesser secondary
STRONG
bottom junior less lower menial minor minus peon second subordinate subsidiary
WEAK
back seat bottom-rung entry-level second-banana second-fiddle second-string smaller subjacent under underneath
Antonyms
STRONGEST
superior
STRONG
chief important
WEAK
best better extraordinary first-class first-rate foremost
ADJECTIVE
poor, second-rate
Synonyms
STRONGEST
indifferent lousy mediocre substandard
STRONG
average bad base common fair good-for-nothing hack imperfect junk lemon mean middling ordinary worse
WEAK
déclassé low-grade low-rent paltry poorer sad second-class sorry tawdry two-bit wretched
Antonyms
STRONG
excellent exceptional extraordinary extreme good honest noble uncommon unusual
WEAK
best better first-class first-rate
NOUN
person of lesser rank, importance
Synonyms
STRONG
adherent attendant auxiliary deputy disciple follower hanger-on hireling junior menial minion minor peon satellite subaltern subject subordinate sycophant underling
WEAK
second banana
Antonyms
STRONG
boss chief leader manager master
WEAK
superior

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Navy, which wanted the best and thus had no interest in Dreyer’s inferior system, funneled information about the Pollen-Isherwood system to an American startup.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

The graphic novel illustrator, 38, says he is alarmed by society's increasing dependence on artificial intelligence, which he insists is inferior to the things it is being used to replace.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

And by any yardstick, from infant mortality to life expectancy, America occupies the cellar among peer countries, including several that many would consider to be inferior.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 26, 2026

So far its attempts to break into the US and European markets have been a flop, with its models dismissed as inferior to their competitors.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

There is a delicious irony in this because Hobbes believed factual knowledge was a truly inferior kind of knowledge, science consisting solely of deductive knowledge.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.