inferior: Meaning and Definition of

in•fe•ri•or

1. lower in station, rank, degree, or grade (often fol. by to): a rank inferior to colonel.
2. lower in place or position; closer to the bottom or base: descending into the inferior regions of the earth.
3. of comparatively low grade; poor in quality; substandard: an inferior product.
4. less important, valuable, or worthy: B+ bonds are inferior to AAA bonds.
5. acting or performing in a way that is comparatively poor or mediocre: an inferior observer of human nature.
1. situated below some other organ.
2. (of a calyx) inserted below the ovary.
3. (of an ovary) having a superior calyx.
7. (of an organ or part)
1. lower in place or position; situated beneath another.
2. toward the feet. Cf. superior (def. 9).
8. lying below the horizon: the inferior part of a meridian.
9. written or printed low on a line of text, as the “2” in HO; subscript. Cf. superior (def. 10).

1. a person inferior to another or others, as in rank or merit.
2. Also calleda letter, number, or symbol written or printed low on a line of text. Cf. superior (def. 12).