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inferiority

inferiority

17 5.1
A state of being lower than others in ability, status or value
  • noun
  • /ɪnˌfɪr.iˈɔr.ɪ.ti/
translation icon : inferioridad
  • I have a slight inferiority complex.
  • feelings of inferiority
  • inferiority complex
  • sense of inferiority

Look, generally speaking, these people have real feelings of inferiority.

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Examples

  • Germany always had an inferiority complex, so they went to work to develop quickly.

  • She struggled with feelings of inferiority when her classmates excelled in academics.

  • The reason, I think, is that many jazz critics suffer from a kind of cultural inferiority complex.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Everybody knows, but Dean's got an inferiority complex.

  • Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?

  • The negative outcome of this stage is a sense of inferiority, an exclusion from relations with others.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Colonialism engendered feelings of inferiority among Asian people in the face of anything Western.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Sid's sense of inferiority is confirmed by no less than the biggest jazz celebrity of the twentieth century.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Youths may compensate for feelings of inferiority with exaggeration or elaboration.

    Academic text (2013)
  • You're beginning from a place of inferiority where you're primed to feel envious of people like that.

Synonyms

low quality
vsinferiority
13 2.8

Something that is not good or well made

refers to personal or social low standing rather than product quality
inferiority complex
vsinferiority
7 6.5

A strong, lasting feeling of not being good enough

is a general state or feeling rather than a persistent psychological condition
unworthiness
vsinferiority
3 7.5

A feeling that you are not good enough and do not deserve good things

focuses on worth itself rather than a social comparison
low status
vsinferiority
1 3.7

A position lower than others in work or society

covers rank but also ability, quality, and worth in comparison
lower status
vsinferiority
1 3.9

A position that people see as less important or powerful than others

is about being lower in many ways, not only rank or power
lowness
vsinferiority
1 5.8

A position with little power or respect compared to others

is about feeling lower in quality status ability or worth
lowliness
vsinferiority
  • Literature
1 6.7

Being humble and not thinking you are better than others

can mean humble attitude, not necessarily feeling less able or worthy
poorness
vsinferiority
1 5.3

A state of having low quality or too little of something

focuses on lack or insufficiency, not on comparative social standing
self-depreciation
vsinferiority
7.2

A feeling that you are not worth much

is the internal sense of being lower rather than its expression
subordinateness
vsinferiority
9.9

Being less important or having less power than others

emphasizes relative position rather than personal feelings of inadequacy
unfavorable position
vsinferiority
  • US
4.2

A situation where someone has less chance to win or succeed

is a general state of feeling lower, not just temporary disadvantage

Antonyms

41 5.5

Being better, stronger, or more skilled than others

Compounds

A strong, lasting feeling of not being good enough

How Inferior

inferiority
17 5.1
insecurity
93 3.7
self-doubt
21 4.6

Surface Forms

inferiority singular
inferiorities plural

Morphology

inferiority = inferior (transparent) = inferior + ity

A straightforward nominalization of the adjective 'inferior' with the productive suffix '-ity', yielding 'the state of being inferior'.

Etymology

The word inferiority comes from a Latin root infer- that meant 'below' and is the same root as the word inferior. So, to feel inferiority is to feel 'lower' in value, skill, or status compared to others.