Adjacent Words

Inferior definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

INFE'RIOR, a. [L. comp. from inferus, low.]
1. Lower in place.
2. Lower in station, age, or rank in life. Pay due respect to those who are superior in station, and due civility to those who are inferior.
3. Lower in excellence or value; as a poem of inferior merit; cloth of inferior quality or price.
4. Subordinate; of less importance. Attend to health and safety; ease and convenience are inferior considerations.
INFE'RIOR, n. A person who is younger, or of a lower station or rank in society.
A person gets more by obliging his inferior, than by disdaining him.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of or characteristic of low rank or importance [ant: superior]
2: of low or inferior quality [ant: superior]
3: written or printed below and to one side of another character [syn: subscript, inferior] [ant: adscript, superior, superscript]
4: having an orbit between the sun and the Earth's orbit; "Mercury and Venus are inferior planets" [ant: superior]
5: lower than a given reference point; "inferior alveolar artery"
6: falling short of some prescribed norm; "substandard housing" [syn: deficient, inferior, substandard] n
1: one of lesser rank or station or quality [ant: higher-up, superior, superordinate]
2: a character or symbol set or printed or written beneath or slightly below and to the side of another character [syn: subscript, inferior] [ant: superior, superscript]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, comparative of inferus lower — more at under Date: 15th century 1. situated lower down ; lower 2. a. of low or lower degree or rank b. of poor quality ; mediocre 3. of little or less importance, value, or merit <always felt inferior to his older brother> 4. a. situated below another and especially another similar superior part of an upright body b. situated in a relatively low posterior or ventral position in a quadrupedal body c. (1) situated below another plant part or organ (2) abaxial 5. relating to or being a subscript • inferior noun • inferiority noun • inferiorly adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 (often foll. by to) a lower; in a lower position. b of lower rank, quality, etc. 2 poor in quality. 3 (of a planet) having an orbit within the earth's. 4 Bot. situated below an ovary or calyx. 5 (of figures or letters) written or printed below the line. --n. 1 a person inferior to another, esp. in rank. 2 an inferior letter or figure. Derivatives: inferiorly adv. Etymology: ME f. L, compar. of inferus that is below

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Inferior In*fe"ri*or, a. [L., compar. of inferus that is below, underneath, the lower; akin to E. under: cf. F. inf['e]rieur. See Under.] 1. Lower in place, rank, excellence, etc.; less important or valuable; subordinate; underneath; beneath. A thousand inferior and particular propositions. --I. Watts. The body, or, as some love to call it, our inferior nature. --Burke. Whether they are equal or inferior to my other poems, an author is the most improper judge. --Dryden. 2. Poor or mediocre; as, an inferior quality of goods. 3. (Astron.) (a) Nearer the sun than the earth is; as, the inferior or interior planets; an inferior conjunction of Mercury or Venus. (b) Below the horizon; as, the inferior part of a meridian. 4. (Bot.) (a) 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. (b) On the side of a flower which is next the bract; anterior. 5. (Min.) Junior or subordinate in rank; as, an inferior officer. Inferior court (Law), a court subject to the jurisdiction of another court known as the superior, or higher, court. Inferior letter, Inferior figure (Print.), a small letter or figure standing at the bottom of the line (opposed to superior letter or figure), as in A_2, B_n, 2 and n are inferior characters. Inferior tide, the tide corresponding to the moon's transit of the meridian, when below the horizon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Inferior In*fe"ri*or, n. A person lower in station, rank, intellect, etc., than another. A great person gets more by obliging his inferior than by disdaining him. --South.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(inferiors) 1. Something that is inferior is not as good as something else. The cassettes were of inferior quality... If children were made to feel inferior to other children their confidence declined. ? superior ADJ: oft ADJ to n 2. If one person is regarded as inferior to another, they are regarded as less important because they have less status or ability. He preferred the company of those who were intellectually inferior to himself. ? superior ADJ: oft ADJ to n • Inferior is also a noun. A gentleman should always be civil, even to his inferiors. N-COUNT • inferiority I found it difficult to shake off a sense of social inferiority.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Lower. 2. Subordinate, secondary. 3. Poor, indifferent. 4. Poorer, less good, less valuable, of lower quality or grade.

Moby Thesaurus

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