Search Result for "inferior": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (2)

1. one of lesser rank or station or quality;

2. a character or symbol set or printed or written beneath or slightly below and to the side of another character;
[syn: subscript, inferior]


ADJECTIVE (6)

1. of or characteristic of low rank or importance;

2. of low or inferior quality;

3. written or printed below and to one side of another character;
[syn: subscript, inferior]

4. having an orbit between the sun and the Earth's orbit;
- Example: "Mercury and Venus are inferior planets"

5. lower than a given reference point;
- Example: "inferior alveolar artery"

6. falling short of some prescribed norm;
- Example: "substandard housing"
[syn: deficient, inferior, substandard]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

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.] [1913 Webster] 1. Lower in place, rank, value, excellence, etc.; less important or valuable; subordinate; underneath; beneath. [1913 Webster] A thousand inferior and particular propositions. --I. Watts. [1913 Webster] The body, or, as some love to call it, our inferior nature. --Burke. [1913 Webster] Whether they are equal or inferior to my other poems, an author is the most improper judge. --Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. Poor or mediocre; as, an inferior quality of goods. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] 5. (Min.) Junior or subordinate in rank; as, an inferior officer. [1913 Webster] Inferior court (Law), a court subject to the jurisdiction of another court known as the superior court, 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 A2, Bn, 2 and n are inferior characters. Inferior tide, the tide corresponding to the moon's transit of the meridian, when below the horizon. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Inferior \In*fe"ri*or\, n. A person lower in station, rank, intellect, etc., than another. [1913 Webster] A great person gets more by obliging his inferior than by disdaining him. --South. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

coarsened \coarsened\ adj. made coarse or crude by lack of skill; -- sometimes used to mean inferior. [WordNet 1.5]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

inferior 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]