I think this one is inferior to that in quality.
Source: tatoeba (33534)
Inferior
/ɪnˈfɪə.ɹi.ə/
Synonyms for "inferior" (343 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (69)
Strong matches (103)
everydayevilfairfeudalfeudatoryflunkeyflunkyfollowerfourth classfourth-classgimcrackgood-for-nothinghackhanger onhanger-onheelerhelperhenchmanhirelinghoi polloi
Show 64 more words
homagerhopelesshumbleignobleillimmaterialimperfectimproperin the shadeinaccurateinadequateinappreciableinauspiciousincapableincapable ofincompetentinconsequentialinconsiderableindifferentineffectiveinefficientineptinessentialinexpedientinfra diginsignificantinsufficientinvalidirregularirrelevantjuniorjunkylackeylackinglesslesserlickspittleliegeliege manlightweightlittlelourlousylowlow classlow gradelow prioritylow testlow-classlow-gradelow-prioritylow-qualitylow-testlowerlower classlower orderslowestlowlymalevolentmarginalmassesmeanmediocremenial
Adjective(11 words)
insignificantjuniorlackeylesser itemlousierlow levellow qualitylower itemlower tierlowliermediocre quality
Related words (171)
mickey mousemiddlingminionminorminusminutemodestmyrmidonnegligiblenetherno great shakesno-accountno-goodnonessentialnot vitalof no accountof no consequenceof no matterof no significanceordinary
Show 102 more words
paltrypawnpeccantpeonpetitpettyplebeianpoorpoor relationpunkpunyretainerright hand manright-hand manropysatellitesatrapscrubsecond bestsecond classsecond fiddlesecond ranksecond ratesecond stringsecond-bestsecond-classsecond-ratesecondaryseedyserfservantservileshabbyshoddyshortshort ofsimplesinfulsinisterslavesleazysmallsorrystoogesubsubalternsubjacentsubjectsubordinatesubservientsubstandardsycophanttackytawdrytechnicalthird classthird rankthird ratethird stringthird stringerthird-classthird-ratetinnytributaryunableunable tounderunderlingunderprivilegedunderstrapperunendowedunessentialunfavorableunfitunfittedungiftedunhealthyunimportantunimpressiveunkindunnoteworthyunpleasantunprofessionalunqualifiedunreachedunsatisfactoryunskillfuluntalenteduntowardunworthyvaluelessvassalviciousvulgarwantingwickedworthlesswretchedwrongyeomanyes manyes-man
Adjective(34 words)
minionminorninepennypalepaltriestpantsierpoor conditionpoor presentationpoor qualitypoorerpunierpunkestrubbishyscrubbyscruffyscuzzysecond rank statussecondaryshittiershoddier
Show 14 more words
sixpennysuboptimalsubordinatesubordinate culturesubparsubprimesubscriptsubstandard itemsubstandard materialtattyunderlingungraded plywoodworsewretcheder
Determiner(1 words)
more bottom-surface
Noun(13 words)
Verb(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: substandard, adherent, amateur, assistant, attendant.
- Sentence evidence is available for inferior, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "inferior".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "inferior"
Keep "inferior" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "inferior" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "inferior", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "inferior" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
15 entriesMore specific
13 entriesinferior modelinferior productinferior samplejuniorlackeylow qualityminionminorpeonsecondarysubordinatesubstandardunderling
Collocations
7 entriesinferior complexinferior goodsinferior performanceinferior positioninferior qualityinferior sampleinferiors
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriesAntonyms
2 entriessimilar
51 entriesShowing 16 of 51 words.
Translations
83 translations across 32 languages.
Armenian
1 entries- ստորին adj (located below)
Bashkir
2 entries- кәм adj (of lower quality)
- ҡайтыш adj (of lower quality)
Bhojpuri
1 entries- नीच adj (of lower quality)
Bulgarian
4 entries- долен adj (located below)
- нискокачествен adj (of lower quality)
- по-нисш adj (of lower rank)
- подчинен adj (of lower rank)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 低劣 adj (of lower quality)
- 低賤 /低贱 adj (of lower rank)
Czech
2 entries- méněcenný adj (of lower rank)
- podřadný adj (of lower quality)
Danish
1 entries- underordnet adj (of lower rank)
Dutch
4 entries- inferieur adj (of lower quality)
- inferieur adj (of lower rank)
- lager adj (located below)
- minderwaardig adj (of lower quality)
Esperanto
1 entries- malsupra adj (of lower rank)
Finnish
4 entries- alempi adj (of lower rank)
- alempi adj (located below)
- alempiarvoinen adj (of lower rank)
- alhaisempi adj (located below)
French
2 entries- inférieur adj (of lower rank)
- inférieur adj (located below)
Galician
3 entries- inferior adj (of lower quality)
- inferior adj (of lower rank)
- inferior adj (located below)
Georgian
4 entries- დაბალხარისხიანი adj (of lower quality)
- დაბალხარისხოვანი adj (of lower quality)
- დამორჩილებული adj (of lower rank)
- დაქვემდებარებული adj (of lower rank)
German
4 entries- nachgeordnet adj (of lower rank)
- tiefer adj (located below)
- untergeordnet adj (of lower rank)
- unterlegen adj (of lower rank)
Greek
2 entries- κάτω adj (located below)
- κατώτερος adj (of lower rank)
Hindi
2 entries- अधोमानक adj (of lower quality)
- नीच adj (of lower quality)
Italian
3 entries- inferiore adj (of lower quality)
- inferiore adj (of lower rank)
- inferiore adj (located below)
Japanese
4 entries- 下級の adj (of lower rank)
- 下賎な adj (of lower rank)
- 劣る adj (of lower quality)
- 賎しい adj (of lower rank)
Latin
1 entries- secundārius adj (of lower quality)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- mindreverdig adj (of lower rank)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- mindreverdig adj (of lower rank)
Ottoman Turkish
3 entries- آشاغی adj (of lower quality)
- آشاغی adj (of lower rank)
- آشاغی adj (located below)
Polish
2 entries- podrzędny adj (of lower quality)
- pośledni adj (of lower quality)
Portuguese
1 entries- inferior adj (of lower quality)
Romanian
3 entries- inferior adj (of lower quality)
- inferior adj (of lower rank)
- inferior adj (located below)
Russian
4 entries- мла́дший adj (of lower rank)
- ни́жний adj (located below)
- ни́зший adj (of lower rank)
- нижестоя́щий adj (of lower rank)
Sanskrit
1 entries- अनार्य adj (of lower quality)
Spanish
4 entries- inferior adj (of lower quality)
- inferior adj (of lower rank)
- inferior adj (located below)
- malmatado adj (of lower rank)
Swedish
2 entries- undermålig adj (of lower quality)
- underordnad adj (of lower rank)
Turkish
2 entries- aşağı derecede olan adj (of lower quality)
- uyuz adj (of lower quality)
Ukrainian
3 entries- гірший adj (of lower quality)
- нижній adj (located below)
- підлеглий adj (of lower rank)
Walloon
2 entries- dizotrin adj (of lower rank)
- dizotrin adj (located below)
Sample sentences
21 total sentences available.
This novel of his is inferior to the previous one.
Source: tatoeba (57466)
This machine is inferior to that one in durability.
Source: tatoeba (59817)
This wine is inferior to that one in flavor.
Source: tatoeba (60310)
Showing 4 of 21 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "inferior"?
Closest matches include substandard, adherent, amateur, assistant, attendant.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "inferior"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.