inferiority

I1N1F4E1R1I1O1R1I1T1Y4

noun

The quality or state of being inferior.

Similar
deterioritynethernessraunchsuckagesuckinessworsenesslower statuslower rank
Opposite
superioritynoninferiority
Less commonScrabble 17
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Meanings

nouninferiority (countable and uncountable, plural inferiorities)

plural inferiorities · alternative inferiourity

  1. countableuncountableThe quality or state of being inferior.
  2. countableuncountableAn inferior value or quality.
  3. countableuncountableAn inferior power.
  4. countableuncountableThe quality of being a competitive disadvantage.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
deterioritynethernessraunchsuckagesuckinessworseness
Opposite
superioritynoninferiority
Broader
inequality
Narrower
commonaltyimperfectionsubordinacy

nounthe state of being inferior

Similar
lower statuslower rank
Broader
low statuslownesslowliness

nounan inferior quality

Similar
low quality
Opposite
superiority
Broader
qualitycalibercalibre

nounthe quality of being a competitive disadvantage

Similar
unfavorable position
Broader
disadvantage

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Morphologically inferior + -ity.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἥττημα
  • ἥττημα (hḗttēma)quality of being inferior
Bulgarian малоценност
  • малоценност (malocennost)quality of being inferior
Catalan inferioritat
  • inferioritatquality of being inferior
Chinese Mandarin 劣勢 /劣势, 低劣
  • 劣勢 /劣势 (lièshì)quality of being inferior
  • 低劣 (dīliè)quality of being inferior
Dutch minderwaardigheid, inferioriteit
  • minderwaardigheidquality of being inferior
  • inferioriteitquality of being inferior
Esperanto malsupereco
  • malsuperecoquality of being inferior
Finnish alemmuus, alempiarvoisuus
  • alemmuusquality of being inferior
  • alempiarvoisuusquality of being inferior
  • huonommuusquality of being inferior
French infériorité
  • inférioritéquality of being inferior
Italian inferiorità
  • inferioritàquality of being inferior
Japanese 損, 不利
  • 損 (son)quality of being a competitive disadvantage
  • 不利 (furi)quality of being a competitive disadvantage
  • 下賎 (gesen)quality of being inferior
  • 下級 (kakyū)quality of being inferior
  • 低級 (teikyū)quality of being inferior
  • 劣位 (retsui)quality of being inferior
Polish niższość
  • niższośćquality of being inferior
Russian неполноце́нность
  • неполноце́нность (nepolnocénnostʹ)quality of being inferior
Spanish inferioridad
  • inferioridadquality of being inferior
Swedish underlägsenhet
  • underlägsenhetquality of being inferior
Tamil இழிவு, தாழ்வு
  • இழிவு (iḻivu)quality of being inferior
  • தாழ்வு (tāḻvu)quality of being inferior

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with inferiority

authorityprioritymajorityminoritysororitysuperiorityseniorityanteriorityexteriority
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

inferiority. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inferiority

MLA

“inferiority.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inferiority. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inferiority,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inferiority.

Source: inferiority on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.